North Korea's Kim commits to 'denuclearization' during visit, China says

North Korean leader KimJong-un pledged his commitment to 'denuclearization' and to meetU.S. officials, China said on Wednesday after his meeting withPresident Xi Jinping, who promised China would uphold its friendship with its isolated neighbour.

After two days of speculation, China and North Korea bothconfirmed that Kim had travelled to Beijing and met Xi during what China called an unofficial visit from Sunday to Wednesday.

The visit was Kim's first known trip outside North Koreasince he assumed power in 2011,and is believed by analysts to serve as preparation for upcoming summits with South Korea andthe United States.

North Korea's KCNA news agency made no mention of Kim'spledge to denuclearize, or his anticipated meeting with U.S.President Donald Trump that is planned for some time in May.

China has traditionally been secretive North Korea's closestally, but ties have been frayed by its pursuit of nuclear weaponsand China's backing of tough UNsanctions in response.

China's Foreign Ministry cited Kim in a lengthy statement astelling Xi the situation on the Korean peninsula was starting toimprove because North Korea had taken the initiative to easetension and put forward proposals for talks.

"It is our consistent stand to be committed todenuclearization on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late President Kim Il-sung and late General Secretary KimJong-il," Kim Jong-un said, according to the ministry.

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North Korea was willing to talk with the United States andhold a summit between the two countries, he said.

"The issue of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula canbe resolvedif South Korea and the United States respond to ourefforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace andstability while taking progressive and synchronous measures forthe realization of peace," Kim said.

'Nuclear umbrella'

Kim's predecessors, grandfather Kim Il-sung andfather Kim Jong-il, both promised not to pursue nuclear weaponsbut secretly maintained programs to develop them, culminatingin the North's first nuclear test in 2006 under Kim Jong-il.

The North had said in previous, failed talks aimed atdismantling its nuclear programit could consider giving up its arsenal if the United States removed its troops from SouthKorea and withdrew its so-called nuclear umbrella of deterrencefrom South Korea and Japan.

Many analysts and former negotiators believe this stillconstitutes North Korea's stance and remain deeply skeptical Kim is willing to give up the weapons his family has been developingfor decades.

At first wrapped in secrecy, the announcement of Kim's visit soon became the third-most discussed topic on China's Weibo microblogging site, although many state media outletsblocked their comments sections.

Widely read Chinese state-run newspaper the Global Timespraised the meeting as proving naysayers wrong about Beijing-Pyongyang relations.

"China and North Korea maintaining their friendly relationsprovides a positive force for the whole region and promotes
strategic stability in northeast Asia," it said in an editorial.

Kim's appearance in Beijing involved almost all thetrappings of a state visit, complete with an honour guard and banquet at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.

Kim and Xi also met at the Diaoyutai State Guest House,where Kim Il-sung planted a tree in 1959 that still stands.

State television showed pictures of the two men chatting andKim's wife, Ri Sol Ju, getting a warm welcome from Xi's wife,Peng Liyuan.

Trump briefed

China briefed Trump on Kim's visit and the communicationincluded a personal message from Xi to Trump, the White Housesaid in a statement.

"We're going to be cautiously optimistic but we feel like things are moving in the right direction and the meeting yesterday was a good indication that the maximum pressure campaign has been working," White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders told reporters on Wednesday.

Trumpwroteabout the matter earlier in the day.

Analysts said the meeting strengthened North Korea'sposition ahead of any meeting with Trump by aligning Beijing and Pyongyang while reassuring China it was not being sidelined inany negotiations.

"It seems that North Korea is not ready to deal with theUnited States without support and help from its longtime ally China," said Han Suk-hee, professor of Chinese studies at SouthKorea's Yonsei University.

A top Chinese diplomat, Politburo member Yang Jiechi, willbrief officials, including South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in Seoul on Thursday about the Beijing talks, the presidential office inSeoul said.

Kim told a banquet hosted by Xi the visit was intended to"maintain our great friendship and continue and develop our
bilateral ties at a time of rapid developments on the Koreanpeninsula,"according to KCNA.

Xi had accepted an invitation "with pleasure"tovisit North Korea, KCNA said.

China made no mention of Xi accepting an invitation, butForeign Ministry spokespersonLu Kang pointed to a line in their statement citing Xi as saying he is willing to maintain regularcommunications with North Korea via visits and exchanges ofenvoys and messages.

"I have to say that China and North Korea have a traditionof high-level mutual visits," Lu told a daily news briefing.

China had largely sat on the sidelines as North Koreaimproved relations with South Korea recently, raising worry in Beijing that it was no longer a central player in the NorthKorean issue, reinforced by Trump's subsequent announcement ofhis proposed meeting with Kimin May.

"China is North Korea's lifeline, so the notion, from aChinese perspective, that Kim Jong-un could have had these other two meetings before meeting with Xi Jinping, I think the Chinesejust thought that is not going to happen," said Paul Haenle,director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing and theformer White House representative to North Korea denuclearization talks from 2007-2009.

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