NORTH KOREA’S reclusive leader Kim Jong-il concluded a visit to ally China with an agreement to rejoin stalled negotiations on his impoverished country’s nuclear ambitions, although no firm date was set for the talks.
The elaborately quiffed Mr Kim, who refuses to fly and rarely ventures out of his Stalinist fiefdom, left Beijing late on Thursday. His personal armoured train, a gift from former Soviet leader Josef Stalin, crossed the border into North Korea yesterday.
Mr Kim’s motorcade of limousines and his block-booking of the presidential suites in a luxury hotel caused a stir in the city of Dalian when he arrived earlier this week.
For days neither Pyongyang nor Beijing would confirm the visit was happening. But state broadcaster CCTV ran footage of Mr Kim meeting President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other leaders yesterday. The official Chinese news agency Xinhua issued a brief statement on the trip.
“Kim said that the DPRK will work with China to create favourable conditions for restarting the six-party talks,” it stated.
Pyongyang abandoned the talks – involving both Koreas, China, the US, Japan and Russia – more than a year ago, saying it wanted to deal directly with Washington.
The talks are hosted by China, Pyongyang’s only meaningful friend internationally, and the Beijing government has gained in diplomatic stature through its handling of the thorny negotiations.
North Korea is an international pariah for its nuclear ambitions, which culminated in a nuclear weapon test last year, earning Pyongyang a raft of sanctions from the United Nations. North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have rattled its neighbours, especially South Korea, which has never agreed a ceasefire with the North since the 1950-53 Korean War.
China also backed the North’s punishment, even though North Korea is considered a “little brother” in China and is often described as being “as close as lips and teeth”. Beijing backed North Korea with troops during the Korean war, and food and oil from China is said to be the only thing keeping the regime ticking over.
Mr Kim, believed to have suffered a stroke in 2009, visited China in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2006. China is likely to reward Pyongyang for returning to the talks with economic aid, including implementation of agreements reached during Premier Wen’s visit to the North last year.