The Latest: China's Xi arrives in North Korea to meet Kim

BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to North Korea (all times local):

Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for first visit since taking office in 2013.

The Xinhua News Agency says Xi arrived shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday. During the two-day state visit, he's expected to talk with leader Kim Jong Un about reviving talks with Washington over North Korea's nuclear weapons.

China's official Xinhua news agency reported that Xi was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several Communist Party officials. He would be the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years.

The summit comes as both Xi and Kim are locked in separate disputes with the United States — Xi over trade and Kim over his nuclear weapons.

Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has departed for his state visit to North Korea, which he has said will strengthen the countries' strategic ties.

Xinhua news agency said Xi left Thursday morning and was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several Communist Party officials. He's expected to have talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, including about his nuclear program as talks have stalled with the U.S.

Experts say Xi will likely endorse North Korea's calls for an incremental disarmament process in which every action Pyongyang takes it met with U.S. concessions on sanctions and security issues. </s> BEIJING — The Latest on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to China (all times local):

Kim Jong Un's train has left Beijing after a two-day visit by the North Korean leader to the Chinese capital.

The long train was seen Wednesday travelling on an elevated track over a busy street heading toward eastern China.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency says it will take 14 hours for the train to reach the city of Dandong at the North Korean border.

Kim reportedly met Chinese President Xi Jinping during his trip, which may have been a precursor to a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The motorcade of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has headed out on the second full day of his visit to China.

Kim could not be seen but the limousine he uses was observed zipping east down a main thoroughfare in Beijing on Wednesday.

His trip to Beijing has been shrouded in secrecy. North Korean and Chinese state media have announced his visit but provided no details of what he has done since arriving by train on Tuesday morning.

China is North Korea's only major ally, and Kim is likely consulting and coordinating with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and others ahead of a possible second summit with President Donald Trump. </s> China broke its day-long silence on Tuesday and finally acknowledged North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit and meeting with Kim paid a four-day unofficial visit-from Sunday to Wednesday to Beijing on an invitation from Xi, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Kim reportedly arrived in China by a special train from across the border and left in the same train yesterday. During the visit, which was kept under the wraps, Xi held talks with Kim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi and his wife held a welcoming banquet for Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju. They watched an art performance together, the report said. Premier Li Keqiang, Vice-President Wang Qishan and other top leaders of the ruling Chinese Communist Party of China, (CPC) attended related activities, it said. This was Kim's first visit abroad since he took power in 2011. Kim travelled to the Chinese capital because he felt compelled to personally inform of the rapid diplomatic developments on the Korean Peninsula in recent weeks, according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency. Kim also called for a "new era" in bilateral relations in a letter to Xi published on North Korean state media and invited the Chinese President to visit Pyongyang. There had been no word of Kim planning a summit with Beijing, however. China has been one of North Korea's most important allies, but relations have grown chilly because of Kim's development of and long-range missiles. Key points Xi hosted a grand banquet for Kim at the Great Hall of the People Kim reiterated his commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula Here are the highlights of Kim Jong-un's first visit to China 1) Kim visits Xi Jinping to congratulate him on re-election: Kim said a series of major and happy events had taken place consecutively in China recently and referred Xi's re-election for the second term. Kim said it was his obligation to come congratulate Xi in person, in line with the DPRK-China friendly tradition, the report said. ALSO READ: Kim Jong-un visited China, held talks with Xi Jinping 2) Xi Jinping speaks highly of Kim Jong-un's visit: Chinese has held talks with leader in Beijing during the trip, which reportedly took place from March 25 to 28. The Chinese state media on Wednesday confirmed that made a surprise trip to Beijing. Xi and his wife held a welcoming banquet for Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, reported China's state-run news agency Xinhua. "We speak highly of this visit," Xi said. 3) Traditional China-DPRK friendship should be developed further: Xi underscored the China-DPRK friendship, saying, "This is a strategic choice and the only right choice both sides have made based on history and reality, the and regional structure and the general situation of China-DPRK ties. This should not and will not change because of any single event at a particular time." 4) China is a traditional ally and major trading partner for North Korea: The China-North Korean relations went through some testing times since Kim took over as the supreme leader of the country as he pressed ahead with his nuclear programme disregarding caution from Beijing. Relations between the two countries have been strained after Beijing beefed up UN sanctions by blocking essential supplies like oil and coal following pressure from Trump. 5) Xi Jinping made 4 proposals to for China-DPRK relations: i. Continuation of high-level exchange, including close communication between him and Kim

iii. Cement the popular will foundation for China-DPRK friendship enhancing people to people contacts

6) Preparations on for Trump-Kim summit, says White House: The United States continues to move forward on the proposed summit meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the White House has said. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Tuesday told reporters that preparations were on for the summit, which has been accepted by Trump at the request of Pyongyang. "We are continuing to move forward. The offer was extended and accepted, and were continuing to move forward in that process. We still don't have a set time or date on that front," Sanders said in response to a question.

7) China earlier kept mum on North Korea's visit to Beijing: "I am not aware of any information at present. If we have some information, we will release it in due course," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a press conference.

Although Hua did not confirm if North Korean leader had made his first visit to China since assuming power six years ago, he did say the two countries were "traditional friends" and still had "normal exchanges" despite recent sanctions by Beijing on Pyongyang in line with several resolutions of the UN Security Council, reports Efe news agency.

8) Like father, like son: The presence of was along the lines of the trips to Beijing by his father, Kim Jong-il, who used to come in a special train, amid heavy security deployments at key points in the Chinese capital, and complete silence by the authorities of both countries until the North Korean leader had returned to his country.

9) The train journey: Japanese media reports said a special North Korean train arrived in Beijing under unusually heavy security, suggesting a senior delegation might have been aboard.

The reports sparked speculation that leader might have been aboard the train. Heavy security was reported at the Friendship Bridge before the train passed from to China, and there were reports of it passing through several stations on the way from to Beijing.

The NTV network said the green and yellow train appears very similar to the one that former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un's late father, took to Beijing in 2011 and has 21 cars. </s> Chinese President Xi Jinping was greeted by cheering crowds as he arrived in Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In footage broadcast on Chinese television, the two leaders were seen being driven through the North Korean capital.

It is the first Chinese state visit to North Korea since 2005. </s> The Latest: Kim Jong Un on way to China for summit

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Latest on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to China (all times local):

North Korea's state media says leader Kim Jong Un has left for China.

The Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that Kim departed for China on Monday afternoon with his wife Ri Sol Ju and top officials.

The KCNA dispatch came after South Korean media reported late Monday that Kim may be on his way to Beijing aboard a special train for his fourth summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Kim's trip comes after U.S. and North Korean officials are believed to have met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.

South Korean media say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be on his way to Beijing for his fourth summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Officials in China and in Seoul had no immediate comment. North Korea rarely reports such visits until they are over.

The reports said a train like the one often used by Kim was seen crossing through the Chinese border city of Dandong late Monday amid heavy security.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency speculated the train could be carrying a senior North Korean official, while the Hankyoreh newspaper cited sources as saying Kim was in China for a summit.

Yonhap said the train was expected to reach Beijing at about 10 a.m. Tuesday local time. </s> • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and other senior officials for a four-day trip.
• North Korean propaganda outlets claimed Kim had been invited to the country by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
• The trip comes amid rumors of a second summit with US President Donald Trump, which may be held as early as this year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and other senior officials for a four-day trip, according to Chinese and North Korean media reports on Tuesday.

Kim, who reportedly traveled to China on his armored train, arrived during what is believed to be his 36th birthday, according to the Associated Press. North Korean propaganda outlets claimed Kim had been invited to the country by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The trip comes amid rumors of a second summit with US President Donald Trump, which may be held as early as this year. Representatives from the two countries reportedly held discussions in Vietnam to discuss the venue for the second summit.

“It will be announced probably in the not-too-distant future,” Trump said of the summit and North Korea to reporters on Sunday. “They do want to meet and we want to meet and we’ll see what happens.”

The proposed summit comes after Trump met Kim in Singapore in June, the first such meeting between a sitting US president and North Korean leader, where the two signed an agreement outlining broad goals for denuclearization. </s> Reportedly Xi, at the invitation of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, will attend celebrations of 70th anniversary of North Korea's founding.

Kim has visited China thrice this year and held talks with Xi on improving cooperation between the two countries and for economic reforms. (Photo: AFP)

Shanghai: Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Pyongyang next month at the invitation of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un to attend the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of North Korea's founding, Singapore's Straits Times newspaper reported.

It will be the Chinese leader's first visit to the North Korean capital since he took power in 2012, and 13 years after the last visit by a Chinese President, when Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao visited in 2005, the newspaper said on Saturday.

The Straits Times did not say where it obtained the information and the Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

North Korea's celebrations are set to take place on September 9 and the Straits Times said that Xi's visit could still be subject to last-minute changes.

China is the reclusive country's most important trading partner and Kim has visited China three times so far this year during which he has held talks with Xi on improving cooperation between the two countries and economic reforms.

The United States has stepped up sanctions on North Korea to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program. This week, the United States imposed sanctions on Chinese firms for exporting alcohol and cigarette products to North Korea in breach of those sanctions. </s> BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was part of a secretive delegation that arrived in Beijing by train on Monday and left on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter and foreign media reports.

The visit, which would be Kim’s first known journey abroad since he assumed power in 2011, was not announced by North Korea or China and has remained shrouded in mystery.

South Korea’s left-leaning Hankyoreh newspaper reported that Kim had traveled to Beijing for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday afternoon before leaving for a “third location”, which could be in China, on Tuesday. It did not cite specific sources.

The conservative South Korean Chosun Ilbo newspaper, citing an unnamed senior intelligence official, said the delegation had included Kim, and that he had left to return to North Korea.

Kim is due to hold separate summits with China’s rivals, South Korea and the United States, and analysts say a visit to Beijing could be preparation for those.

Beijing has traditionally been the closest ally of secretive and isolated North Korea, but ties have been frayed by North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and China’s backing of tough U.N. sanctions in response.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman deflected a question on whether Kim, his sister or some other senior North Korean was visiting.

“At present I have no understanding of the situation you mention. If there is news we will release it,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular daily briefing.

Diplomatic sources in Beijing said a senior North Korean official was in town, but they did not know exactly who.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said it “kinda looked like” Kim went to Beijing, but told reporters at the Pentagon, “I don’t know.”

A senior U.S. official who follows North Korea closely said the available evidence suggested Kim had gone to meet Xi, but stressed that has not been confirmed.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said China had not confirmed who had visited, but added, “there certainly was a lot of fanfare ... a lot of protocol.”

“We look forward to hearing about it and we’ll leave it for the Chinese to announce who was visiting,” she told a regular news briefing, adding that the United States was continuing with its plans for a summit with Kim by the end of May.

A Reuters reporter saw a convoy leave Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House, where senior foreign leaders often stay, and drive north on Tuesday morning. It was unclear where the convoy was headed.

Later, a Reuters journalist saw what was believed to be the delegation’s train pulling out of a Beijing station. The group was reported to have arrived in China on Sunday after crossing from North Korea at the border city of Dandong.

One source with ties to China’s leadership said earlier it was possible the visitor was Kim’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong. She visited South Korea during the Winter Olympics last month, paving the way for a summit between the two Koreas.

The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was unlikely Kim Jong Un would have again sent his sister given the importance of a meeting with Xi, which would underscore Kim’s standing as a world leader.

South Korean news agency Newsis reported that Kim Yo Jong and the North’s ceremonial leader, Kim Yong Nam, were visiting Beijing, citing an unidentified North Korea-related source in the Chinese capital.

The U.S. official said Xi and Kim Jong Un had reason to meet in advance of Kim’s meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April and possibly U.S. President Donald Trump in May.

“Xi has met Trump, and in many respects learned how to deal with him better than some people here do,” the official said.

“At the same time, despite the recent tensions, he needs to know what Kim has in mind for dealing with the South and the U.S., and he still has a lot of leverage with the North.”

A senior South Korean official said improving ties between North Korea and China would be a positive sign before the planned summits.

In Geneva, meanwhile, North and South Korean members of parliament shook hands and shared a toast to “peace” on Tuesday, a Reuters witness said, suggesting relations between their two countries are thawing.

South Korean politician Young Chin shook hands with Ri Jong Hyok, director of North Korea’s National Reunification Institute and deputy head of its Supreme People’s Assembly, at the annual assembly in Geneva of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

While China, which remains North Korea’s biggest trading partner in spite of recent sanctions, has not confirmed any North Korean visit, it has not totally censored speculation.

Posts on Chinese social media have talked about the possibility that Kim Jong Un was in China, some citing family members in Dandong. The rail journey between Dandong and Beijing covers more than 1,100 km (680 miles). It takes at least 14 hours by ordinary service, according to Chinese railway timetables.

Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, met then-president Jiang Zemin in China in 2000 before a summit between the two Koreas in June that year. That visit was seen at the time as reaffirmation of close ties with Beijing.

“North Korea likely wants to confirm its relationship with China and believes it has some leverage with which it can ask for things from China,” said Yoo Ho-yeol, professor of North Korean studies at Seoul’s Korea University.

“If North Korea speaks with the United States on its own, it might feel it is at a disadvantage but, if it has China as an ally, Pyongyang may think it will be able to protect its interests and profits during the summits.” </s> BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived Thursday morning for a two-day state visit to North Korea, where he is expected to talk with leader Kim Jong Un about the stalled negotiations with Washington over North Korea's nuclear weapons.

A photo posted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on its mobile app showed a large welcoming contingent including a military band at the airport in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.

China's Xinhua News Agency said that Xi was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several Communist Party officials. He is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years.

ALSO READ: Russia and China block UN from saying North Korea violated sanctions

The summit comes as both Xi and Kim are locked in separate disputes with the United States — Xi over trade and Kim over his nuclear weapons.

A Xinhua commentary said China could play a unique and constructive role in breaking the cycle of mistrust between North Korea and the U.S. so they can work out a roadmap to achieve denuclearization.

The U.S. is demanding that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons development before international sanctions are lifted. North Korea is seeking a step-by-step approach in which a step toward its denuclearization would be matched by a concession from the U.S., notably a relaxation of economic sanctions.

ALSO READ: China's Xi Jinping to visit North Korea this week ahead of G20 Summit

China backs what it calls a "suspension for suspension" proposal. Xinhua said both sides "need to have reasonable expectations and refrain from imposing unilateral and unrealistic demands."

A former North Korean diplomat who defected in 2016 said he thinks Kim wants to give Xi a message to deliver to President Donald Trump when the two meet at next week's G-20 summit in Japan.

Thae Yong Ho, speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, said that Kim may offer some kind of compromise on his country's nuclear facilities to set up a third summit with the U.S. president. Thae was in Japan to promote the Japanese translation of his book.

U.S.-North Korea talks have been stalled since Kim and Trump met for the second time in February in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Experts say Xi will likely endorse North Korea's calls for an incremental disarmament process.

Chinese and North Korea media have said Xi would stay in Pyongyang for two days. His meeting with Kim would be their fifth summit since Kim entered nuclear diplomacy with the United States and South Korea early last year.

In an essay published in both countries' official media before his trip, Xi praised North Korea for moving in the "right direction" by politically resolving issues on the peninsula. He did not mention Kim's nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. in the article, much of which focused on lauding the neighbors' seven-decade relationship. Xi said his visit will "strengthen strategic communication and exchange" between the traditional, though sometimes strained, allies.

The nations fought together in the 1950-53 Korean War against the United States, South Korea and their allies, but there has been friction in recent years, especially over the North's relentless push for nuclear weapons.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in North Korea for a two-day state visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.