China's Xi affirms friendship with North Korean leader, gets denuclearisation pledge

[webfact]

China's Xi affirms friendship with North Korean leader, gets denuclearisation pledge

By Ben Blanchard and Joyce Lee

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in this still image taken from video released on March 28, 2018. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China from Sunday to Wednesday on an unofficial visit, China's state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday. CCTV via Reuters TV

 

BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday it won a pledge from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to denuclearise the Korean peninsula during a meeting with President Xi Jinping, who pledged in return that China would uphold its friendship with its isolated neighbour.

 

After two days of speculation, China announced on Wednesday that Kim had visited Beijing and met Xi during what the official Xinhua news agency called an unofficial visit from Sunday to Wednesday.

 

The trip was Kim's first known journey abroad since he assumed power in 2011 and is believed by analysts to serve as preparation for upcoming summits with South Korea and the United States.

 

Beijing has traditionally been the closest ally of secretive North Korea, but ties have been frayed by North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and China's backing of tough U.N. sanctions in response.

 

Xinhua cited Kim as telling Xi that the situation on the Korean peninsula is starting to improve because North Korea has taken the initiative to ease tensions and put forward proposals for peace talks.

 

"It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearisation on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late President Kim Il Sung and late General Secretary Kim Jong Il," Kim Jong Un said, according to Xinhua.

 

North Korea is willing to talk with the United States and hold a summit between the two countries, he said.

 

"The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace," Kim said.

 

Xi told Kim in return that both sides had stated repeatedly that their traditional friendship should be passed on and developed better.

 

"This is a strategic choice and the only right choice both sides have made based on history and reality, the international and regional structure and the general situation of China-North Korea ties. This should not and will not change because of any single event at a particular time," Xi said.

 

Xinhua published a photograph of Kim and Xi shaking hands in front of the flags of the two nations.

 

Speculation about a possible visit by Kim to Beijing was rife earlier this week after a train similar to the one used by Kim's father was seen in the Chinese capital, along with heavy security and a large motorcade.

 

Kim was accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, Xinhua said.

 

Xi had accepted an invitation from Kim to visit North Korea, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

 

Improving ties between North Korea and China would be a positive sign before planned summits involving the two Koreas and the United States, a senior South Korean official said on Tuesday.

 

Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, met then-president Jiang Zemin in China in 2000 before a summit between the two Koreas in June that year. That visit was seen at the time as reaffirmation of close ties with Beijing.

 

(Additional reporting by David Stanway in SHANGHAI; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-28

[harada]

Kim must be running out of play money.

[jcsmith]

I'm guessing Kim realizes that Trump is going to attack him. Hiring Bolton is a strong indication of that. If he uses nuclear weapons it's surely the end of North Korea. Building them to the point he has, he has given himself something he can now give away for political capital. It's time for him to trade that. He's become receptive to South Korea, and is now reaching out to China. It's the right move for him. 

[HLover]

5 minutes ago, car720 said:

Funny, I made the first post on this today and now it is gone.

Was it an exceptional post?

[dunroaming]

Everyone is trying to second guess what Kim's motivation is and only he knows!  Still doesn't stop the speculation and I am sure he is loving that.

[kamahele]

no doubt only if American troops leave S. Korea which both N. Korea and China would love to have happen.

[lovelomsak]

Is this starting to sound similar to what was going on before pearl harbour? Talks between America and Japan.to keep America out of war with Japan and  then boom. I am not as well versed on how that went as many posters here are. So could some one help me understand if it seems a lot the same or not.

  I like to think positive  but this came to me and would like help to see if I am just being a space cadet,over thinking.

  But do any history buffs here see a similar design?

  I tried to search it but was bogged down with to much info.

[dunroaming]

All that Kim gets from Trump are threats.  Kim has face to face meetings with S Korea and China with all sides claiming positives.  When (or if) Trump meets with Kim then he has to take a different tack because Kim has come forward to the people who have the most influence over the future of NK.  If Trump strides in wearing his Stetson and sporting a pair of pistols he is just going to look very foolish.  "Maybe" that is in Kim's mind....

[Baerboxer]

Look at the body language in the photo.

 

Not hard to see who the boss is.

[Enoon]

9 hours ago, jcsmith said:

I'm guessing Kim realizes that Trump is going to attack him. Hiring Bolton is a strong indication of that. If he uses nuclear weapons it's surely the end of North Korea. Building them to the point he has, he has given himself something he can now give away for political capital. It's time for him to trade that. He's become receptive to South Korea, and is now reaching out to China. It's the right move for him. 

 

Kim is Chinas poodle  (a rather "yappy" one, that suited China, for a while).

 

It suited China for him to develop nuclear weapons to "tweak" the US.

 

It no longer suits them so he has been told to stop (a visit from a Chinese envoy last year was the first indication that it no longer "pleased" them).

 

It is the fear (his newfound knowledge) that China will not support him in face of any American aggression that he provoked (not fear of American aggression itself) that has resulted in this decision.

 

China comes up smelling of roses as the wise peacemaker........the "safe hands" of/for the region

 

Which was the strategy all along.

 

But they could not have done it without Kim........and Simple (Savage) Donny.

 

 

Edited March 28, 2018 by Enoon

[Ulic]

Seems to me that the world has pledged to dismantle all nuclear weapons. But with

no deadline dates/time frame, the pledges mean nothing. 

[Scott]

12 hours ago, car720 said:

Funny, I made the first post on this today and now it is gone.

Nope.   No posts from you and none removed on this thread so far.  

[Scott]

Just now, car720 said:

I thought all my posts must be exceptional.

I get so many people telling me how much they don't like them.

Perhaps the Cyberspace God has taken it and it will be on the pearly modum in Cyber Heaven.  

 

No idea, but it's not here and it wasn't here.   We have ways of checking these things, you know!

 

[Scott]

2 minutes ago, car720 said:

It's ok.  I found it here.

 

Well, that's good.   I can go back to be a Cyber Agnostic now.  

[lovelomsak]

30 minutes ago, car720 said:

It's ok.  I found it here.

 

I am not picking sides here for many of my past posts went missing too. So understand the problem. 

 But I am left with a question when I view your reposted lost post. You state it was the first post on this thread. But the one you picture here says there has been 24 replies beside the date and time.. Also the time seems odd. Webfact posted at 8:10 and your post has webfact at 06:15.

 

[Scott]

17 minutes ago, lovelomsak said:

I am not picking sides here for many of my past posts went missing too. So understand the problem. 

 But I am left with a question when I view your reposted lost post. You state it was the first post on this thread. But the one you picture here says there has been 24 replies beside the date and time.. Also the time seems odd. Webfact posted at 8:10 and your post has webfact at 06:15.

 

I think we are going a little off-topic.   If anyone has further questions, use the PM function or post in forum support about missing posts.

 

When a post is removed by a mod usually there is a public notice posted that a post has been removed and generally the reason.   If a post is removed, the replies are usually removed as well.   If a person is given a formal warning, then no public  post is made.   Once in a while a member is notified by PM of the removal.

 

 

[Expatthailover]

On Wed Mar 28 2018 at 1:34 PM, jcsmith said:

I'm guessing Kim realizes that Trump is going to attack him. Hiring Bolton is a strong indication of that. If he uses nuclear weapons it's surely the end of North Korea. Building them to the point he has, he has given himself something he can now give away for political capital. It's time for him to trade that. He's become receptive to South Korea, and is now reaching out to China. It's the right move for him. 

The sort of fight draft dodgers like bolton and trump get involved in.

Fotunately xhi is much smarter than both and more honorable.

[Odysseus123]

22 hours ago, lovelomsak said:

Is this starting to sound similar to what was going on before pearl harbour? Talks between America and Japan.to keep America out of war with Japan and  then boom. I am not as well versed on how that went as many posters here are. So could some one help me understand if it seems a lot the same or not.

  I like to think positive  but this came to me and would like help to see if I am just being a space cadet,over thinking.

  But do any history buffs here see a similar design?

  I tried to search it but was bogged down with to much info.

No...

 

Basically  the talks with Japan in 1941 were based on racial contempt.

 

The Japanese were short sighted,cross eyed,buck teethed purveyers of cheap merchandise,,,

 

Even Trump and his miserably educated minions in the heartland are dimly  aware of this.

 

The real thing..

 

The rest of the world is bored witless by the US and Pearl Harbor.It is the 21st century after all..

 

 

Edited March 29, 2018 by Odysseus123