BEIJING North Koreas enigmatic young leader, Kim Jong-un, made an unannounced visit to Beijing, meeting with President Xi Jinping weeks before planned summit meetings with American and South Korean leaders, Chinese Central TV reported on Wednesday.
The visit amounted to Mr. Kims international debut: It was the 34-year-old leaders first trip outside North Korea since he took power in 2011, and his first meeting with another head of state. The surprise discussions added another layer of complexity to the rush of global diplomacy around North Koreas nuclear weapons program.
Mr. Kims trip unfolded in extraordinary secrecy and security; it was confirmed only after he left Beijing on the same armored train that stirred up speculation when it arrived mysteriously in the Chinese capital on Monday. (Both Mr. Kims father and grandfather, the Norths former leaders, used similar trains for foreign trips.)
The scope of the discussions in Beijing was not clear, nor was it clear which side initiated them. But the visit suggested that Mr. Kim values or needs Chinas approval and possibly its advice as he seeks to capitalize on a risky diplomatic opening with President Trump after more than a year of tension and threats.
Yang Xiyu, one of Chinas leading experts on North Korea, said that Mr. Kim was clearly trying to repair the Norths deeply strained relations with Beijing, its traditional ally and benefactor, while opening new ties with its enemy South Korea.
Even so, Mr. Yang said, that did not signal that Mr. Kim was willing to give up his nuclear arsenal, though he has told South Korean envoys that he was prepared to discuss the possibility.
He is starting a new game where he could make concessions on denuclearization, Mr. Yang said. At most, he will cut the grass, but he will not pull out the roots.
The Trump administration has made it clear that it will not tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea able to launch ballistic missiles that could strike the United States. Those in Washington who favor a forceful approach with the North were bolstered last week by the appointment of John Bolton as Mr. Trumps national security adviser; only a month ago, Mr. Bolton warned that a pre-emptive strike on North Koreas arsenal would be a perfectly legitimate response to a threat to the American mainland.
After months of increasing political and economic pressure, North Koreas once-defiant tone has shifted dramatically since January, for which some have credited Mr. Trumps threats of military action.
Last month, the North sent a delegation to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, led by Mr. Kims sister, Kim Yo-jong, and the Norths nominal head of state, Kim Yong-nam. They put on a charm offensive that led to direct talks with the South Koreans, plans for a meeting between Mr. Kim and the Souths president, Moon Jae-in, and then an extraordinary offer to meet directly with Mr. Trump.
The meeting with Mr. Moon is set to take place next month on the Koreas border, while Mr. Trump is to hold his own talks with Mr. Kim by May, at a site still to be determined.
