TEHRAN, March 28 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was treated to a lavish welcome by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a secretive trip to Beijing as both sides seek to repair frayed ties ahead of landmark summits with Seoul and Washington.
TEHRAN,Young Journalists Club (YJC) - On his first trip abroad since taking power, Kim and his wife were met with honour guards and a banquet hosted by Xi, according to state media, which confirmed the visit on Wednesday only after Kim had returned to North Korea.
The two men held talks at the imposing Great Hall of the People during which they hailed their nations' historic relations, with Kim pledging that he was "committed to the denuclearisation" of the Korean peninsula, according to China's Xinhua news agency.
"There is no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese capital," Kim said, according to North Korea's official KCNA news agency.
"This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC relations through generations."
KCNA said Xi accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang, which 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 2011, but Xi underscored the importance of developing ties, saying it was "a strategic choice and the only right choice," according to Xinhua.
The Chinese leader said he was willing to maintain frequent contact with Kim "under the new circumstances".
Xi and Kim, flanked by officials, sat across from each other at a long conference table 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.
Source: AFP
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