INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Mr Kim was greeted with a welcome ceremony at Beijing's Great Hall of the People
After his surprise visit to China, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left with backing for a possible second summit with US
President Donald Trump, state media said.Mr Trump and Mr Kim first met last June, but progress over denuclearisation has since
stalled.Chinese President Xi Jinping said he hoped the two leaders "meet each other halfway", Xinhua news agency reportedChina is the
North's main ally and key trade partner.Mr Xi said China supported North Korea and the US "holding summits and achieving results, and
supports relevant parties resolving their respective legitimate concerns through dialogue".He also said China would be ready to play a
"positive and constructive role" towards maintaining peace and achieving denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula, reported Xinhua
Mr Kim made what is believe to be his first official trip outside North Korea to China last year, even before meeting South Korea's
President Moon and Mr Trump
The recent visit is Mr Kim's fourth to China in less than a year
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
A train believed to be carrying the North Korean leader departs Beijing Railway
Station on Wednesday
During his three-day visit to China, Mr Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju were welcomed by Mr Xi and his wife
with a banquet and an art performance
He also visited a pharmaceutical plant specialising in Chinese medicine.The trip is believed to have taken place over Mr Kim's 35th
Mr Xi accepted an offer to visit North Korea, state media said
It is still unclear when this would take place
Mr Kim had said in his annual new year's speech in January that he remained committed to denuclearisation, but warned that he would change
course if US sanctions remained
According to North Korean's official KCNA agency China supported the North's position."Xi Jinping said that the legitimate issues raised
by the DPRK are rightful demands and that he fully agrees that the DPRK's reasonable interests should be justly resolved," it said, using
the official country name the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.It is not clear when or where a possible second Kim-Trump summit would
take place, though South Korean president Moon Jae-in has said it will happen "soon".Mr Moon, who has over the past year played mediator
between North Korea and the US, said at a news conference on Thursday that Seoul would cooperate with the US in resolving the issue of
Image copyrightAFPImage caption
Mr Trump and Mr Kim met in Singapore last year
There has been little
progress made between the US and North Korea since the historic Singapore summit in June - the first ever meeting between a North Korean
leader and a sitting US president.Both parties signed a pledge at the time to denuclearise the Korean peninsula, though it was never made
clear what this would entail.Pyongyang wants Washington to lift the sanctions the United Nations imposes on the country because of its
nuclear and missile programmes.North Korea argues that the US needs to match the steps it has taken towards denuclearisation, namely
dismantling a nuclear testing site and a key missile engine facility.
