Warm China welcome for Kim Jong-un
US leader hails secret talks, saying chance better of nuclear weapons threat easing
NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-un was given a lavish welcome by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a secretive trip to Beijing as both sides try to repair frayed relations before Pyongyang’s landmark summits with Seoul and Washington.
US President Donald Trump welcomed the Beijing meeting and said there was now a good chance Kim would scrap his nuclear weapons -- but warned that sanctions must stay in force in the meantime.
On his first trip abroad since taking power, Kim and his wife were greeted by an honour guard and a banquet hosted by Xi, according to state media, which confirmed the “unofficial” visit yesterday only after Kim had returned by train to North Korea.
The two men held talks at the stately Great Hall of the People during which they hailed their nations’ historic relations, with Kim pledging he was committed to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.
Kim had also expressed willingness to hold the summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, it said.
Trump tweeted that Xi had sent him a message on Tuesday to say his meeting with Kim “went very well and that Kim looks forward to his meeting with me”.
“In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!” he tweeted.
Trump also said there was now “a good chance that Kim Jong-un will do what is right for his people and for humanity” and denuclearise. “Look forward to our meeting!” he said. Kim told Xi there was “no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese capital”, according to North Korea’s official KCNA news agency.
“This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC [North Korea-China] relations through generations.”
KCNA said Xi had accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang in what would be his first trip to the North Korean capital since he took power in 2012.
The two men had not met since Kim took over after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011.
Relations have been strained as China has backed a series of tough UN sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile tests.
But Xi underscored the importance of developing ties, saying it was a strategic choice and the only right choice and that he was willing to maintain frequent contact with Kim under the new circumstances, according to Xinhua.
Xi and Kim shook hands and sat across from each other at a long conference table, both flanked by officials, at the Great Hall of the People, according to television images which showed the North Korean leader taking meticulous notes.
Later, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, waved goodbye while Kim and his spouse, Ri Sol Ju, smiled as they left in a black car.
Analysts said Xi had probably wanted to see Kim to ensure North Korea did not cut a deal with Trump that hurt Chinese interests during a summit expected to be held in May.
Kim’s visit puts China back in the diplomatic game after appearing sidelined by Pyongyang’s approaches to Seoul and Washington.
“It shows that at this crucial juncture, Kim and Xi believed that it was time to seize the opportunity to consult,” Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said.
“Both likely concluded that further deterioration in relations would be harmful.”
Deng Yuwen, an independent Chinese international relations scholar, said North Korea needed to turn to its old ally ahead of the US summit, as Kim would be sceptical that Trump would provide his regime with security guarantees.
“North Korea needs the big brother to protect it at a crucial moment,” Deng said.
South Korea said last month after talks with Kim in Pyongyang that he would consider abandoning his nuclear weapons in exchange for US security guarantees, and would halt weapons tests while talks were under way.
Chinese special envoy Yang Jiechi would travel to Seoul today to brief Moon about the Kim-Xi summit, the South’s presidential office said. – AFP