N. Korea leader in Beijing for talks with Xi ahead of possible summit with Trump

SEOUL/BEIJING, Jan 8, 2019, Yonhap. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping apparently aiming to coordinate strategies ahead of his possible second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, reported the Yonhap.

A special train carrying Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, arrived at a highly secure station in Beijing at around 10:55 a.m. Escorted by Chinese police, he and his entourage headed in prearranged limousines to Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

Kim was accompanied by party, government and military officials, including Kim Yong-chol, a key nuclear negotiator with the United States, and Ri Yong-ho and No Kwang-chol, the country’s foreign and defense ministers, respectively, Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency earlier reported.

In footage later unveiled by North Korea’s state TV, Kim Yo-jong, the leader’s younger sister, was also seen among the people leaving for China. She accompanied her brother on his second trip to China in May last year.

Kim left for Beijing on Monday afternoon for a four-day visit at the invitation of the Chinese president, the KCNA said. China’s Xinhua News Agency also confirmed his visit. His arrival in Beijing coincided with what is believed to be his 35th birthday.

Kim is widely expected to hold a summit with Xi during his stay, though his detailed itinerary has not been made known.

This marked Kim’s fourth trip to the neighboring ally since taking office in late 2011 and came as Washington and Pyongyang are in talks to set the venue for a meeting between Kim and Trump.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un (R) and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, leave for China in this photo from the North’s Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 8, 2019. The report said Kim will visit China from Jan. 7-10 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Last year, Kim traveled to China and met with Xi three times before and after he held his first-ever summit with Trump in June in Singapore.

In the Singapore summit, Kim agreed to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees and new relations with the U.S.

Progress, however, has been slow in denuclearization for months as the North calls for sanctions relief, while Washington says such concessions would not be granted until the North completely gives up its nuclear weapons.

In his New Year’s speech last week, the North’s leader warned that he could take a new way if the U.S. clings to pressure and sanctions on its regime. He still kept the door open for talks with the U.S., saying he is willing to meet Trump at any time.

He also called for multilateral talks involving the signatories to the truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War, including China, and replacing it with a peace treaty. The issue could be discussed during his trip to China this week, observers said.

Trump earlier said that the U.S. and North Korea are in talks over where to hold their second summit, adding that the decision on the venue will be announced in the “not-too-distant future.”

Experts see Kim’s trip to China might be intended to demonstrate to the world that their relations remain strong and also reflect the North’s push to project its image as a normal state.

“It is rare that the North’s leader travels overseas at the start of the year. (His trip to China) shows how important it is to advance relations between the North and China,” Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said.

“It is also aimed at showing off the image of a leader of a normal state,” he added.

A government official echoed the view, saying on condition of anonymity that Kim’s travel to China early in the year could be interpreted as showing his strong willingness to fulfill what he pledged in his New Year’s address, in particular building peace on the Korean Peninsula and seeking the country’s economic development.

His previous trips to the ally last year took place in March, May and June, respectively.

Xi is expected to visit North Korea soon as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties this year.

Experts say that Kim’s trip to China could be followed by his visit of Seoul or meeting with U.S. President Trump as early as February.

Kim agreed to travel to Seoul for the first time as a North Korean leader “at an early date” during his summit meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in September.

In a personal letter to Moon last month, he expressed disappointment for not making a trip to Seoul by the year’s end and hoped to fulfill his promise soon.