N. Korea leader arrives in China for talks

Associated Press

BEIJING

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday at the start of a four-day visit, in what’s likely an effort to coordinate with his only major ally ahead of a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump that could happen early this year.

A long motorcade including motorcycle outriders reserved for state leaders left a Beijing train station shortly after the arrival of an armored train consisting of 20 to 25 cars – most of whose windows were blacked-out – along tracks lined by police and paramilitary troops.

Kim’s trip, announced earlier by both sides, comes after U.S. and North Korean officials are believed to have met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit.

The North’s Korean Central News Agency said Kim departed Monday afternoon with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, and other top officials. It said Kim is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Tuesday also happened to be Kim’s birthday.

China’s official Xinhua News Agency issued a nearly identical report.

Beijing’s North Railway Station was cocooned in security, with dozens of police and paramilitary troops patrolling outside.

Kim is expected to stay at the highly secure Diaoyutai State Guest House in the capital’s west, with meetings taking place at the Great Hall of the People, the hulking seat of the legislature that sits next to Tiananmen Square.

The trip marked a further break with past practice in that it was announced in advance of Kim’s arrival, a possible sign of growing confidence on the part of North Korea and China, the North’s most important trading partner and a key buffer against pressure from Washington.