Sunday 29 / June / 2025
Beijing: Kim Jong Un may be getting facetime with Donald Trump and South Korea but it looks like China beat them to the punch.
The mystery train that pulled into Beijing this week carried none other than the leader of North Korea. And Beijing revealed Wednesday he'd sat for talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
It was Kim's first known travel abroad since he took power and Beijing says he confirmed a few key things the North has been keeping quiet about even after Trump said "yes" to Kim's invitation to talk.
China says Kim is willing both to talk with the United States and pursue denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula. China's state news agency quoted Kim saying the problem could be solved "if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill."
The nuclear issue was actually left out of what North Korea's own official media said about the train trip. They also didn't say anything about plans for talks with Trump. Instead, they called the talks a milestone in friendly ties with China, which is the North's only real ally.
A senior official from South Korea called the talks a positive sign ahead of Kim's upcoming meetings with Trump and the South. The White House said China had briefed Trump on the visit and a statement seemed to take some credit for Kim's banquet in Beijing, saying it was evidence their maximum pressure campaign was setting conditions for talks with the North.
