Kim travels to China ahead of possible summit

BEIJING — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was expected to meet Tuesday with China’s president at the start of a visit to Beijing believed to be an effort to coordinate with his only major ally ahead of a possible second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kim’s trip, announced earlier by both sides, comes after U.S. and North Korean officials are thought to have met in Vietnam to discuss the site of a second summit.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang gave no details about Kim’s schedule or China’s role as an intermediary between the U.S. and North Korea. But he said Beijing remains supportive of efforts to end tensions over U.S. demands for a halt to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

“We always believe that, as key parties to the Korean Peninsula issue, it’s important for the two sides to maintain contact and we always support their dialogue to achieve positive outcomes,” Lu told reporters at a daily briefing.

He said further information about Kim’s activities, the outcome of his meetings and a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to North Korea would be “released in due course.”

A long motorcade thought to be carrying Kim, including motorcycle outriders reserved for state leaders, left a Beijing train station shortly after the arrival of an armored train consisting of 20 to 25 cars — most of whose windows were blacked-out — along tracks lined by police and paramilitary troops.