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NORTH KOREAN LEADER Kim Jong-un was treated to a lavish welcome by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a secretive trip to Beijing as both sides seek to repair frayed ties ahead of landmark summits with Seoul and Washington.
On his first trip abroad since taking power, Kim and his wife were met with honour guards and a banquet hosted by Xi, according to state media, which confirmed the visit only after Kim had returned to North Korea.
The two men held talks at the imposing Great Hall of the People during which they hailed their nations’ historic relations, with Kim pledging that he was “committed to the denuclearisation” of the Korean peninsula, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.
“There is no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese capital,” Kim said, according to North Korea’s official KCNA news agency.
This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC relations through generations.
KCNA said Xi accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang, which would be his first trip to the North Korean capital since he took power in 2012.
The two men had not met since Kim took over after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011, but Xi underscored the importance of developing ties, saying it was “a strategic choice and the only right choice”, according to Xinhua.
The Chinese leader said he was willing to maintain frequent contact with Kim “under the new circumstances”.
Xi and Kim, flanked by officials, sat across from each other at a long conference table at the Great Hall of the People, according to television images which showed the North Korean leader taking meticulous notes.
Later, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, waved goodbye while Kim and his spouse, Ri Sol Ju, smiled as they left in a black car.
Analysts said Xi likely wanted to see Kim to ensure North Korea does not cut a deal with US President Donald Trump that hurts Chinese interests during a summit that is expected to be held in May.
Beijing had appeared sidelined by Pyongyang’s approaches to Seoul and Washington, but Kim’s visit puts China firmly back at the centre of the diplomatic game.
“It shows that at this crucial juncture, Kim and Xi believed that it was time to seize the opportunity to consult,” Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP.
Both likely concluded that further deterioration in relations would be harmful.
Deng Yuwen, an independent Chinese international relations scholar, said that North Korea needed to turn to its old ally ahead of the US summit, as Kim will be sceptical that Trump will guarantee the security of his regime.
“North Korea needs the big brother to protect it at a crucial moment,” Deng said.
Trump informed
Xinhua said Kim expressed his willingness to hold summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
“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, according to Xinhua.
South Korea said last month after talks with Kim in Pyongyang that he would consider abandoning his nuclear weapons in exchange for US security guarantees, and flagged a halt to all missile and nuclear tests while talks were under way.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump received a personal note from Xi about Kim’s visit yesterday.
“We see this development as further evidence that our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea,” Sanders said.
Confirmation of the visit ended 24 hours of speculation about the identity of a mysterious North Korean visitor after Japanese media spotted a green train, similar to the one used by Kim’s father, arriving in Beijing on Monday and departing the following day.
While Chinese officials refused to confirm Kim’s presence, a heavy police presence at key venues, motorcades driven under police escort, and barricades in the city centre fuelled the belief that Kim had come to pay his respects.
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I am sure that it was Erskine Childers snr and not his son, president Childers that was the author of riddle of the sands. He was also part of the delegation that negotiated the Anglo Irish agreement following the war of independence.
That’s what I thought too when I first read that.
It was actually Erskine Childers’ father who was executed in 1922, that wrote The Riddle of the Sands. Great article tho Sinead and god knows Darby O Gill was the ultimate in paddywhackery !!
It was Erskine Childer’s father who was the writer.
Hillery’s golf handicap sums up his presidency
It’s well known that De Valera,as Taoiseach, went to the German embassy and offered condolences to the Nazis on the death of Adolf Hitler.
I never knew that President Douglas Hyde did the same thing.
Ireland’s best kept dirty secret?
Not a ‘dirty secret’ – as a neutral country, Hyde was acting appropriately as Head of State rather than expressing a personal view
Research fail…
What a horrible Americanism If you are american I forgive you
@fitszpatrick
How is “X fail” an Americanism? I has thought it was more of an Internetism. Fail is the opposite of win and both can be used as nouns.
In other news, what horrible capitalisation and lack of punctuation. If you are under the age of ten, I forgive you.
Like ur fail is the opposite of succeed and lose is the opposite of win. Enough already Eva. If you are woman I forgive you
No mention of the “small joke” which JFK cracked in the Dáil and which so annoyed Dev. What was it?
Hi Pete,
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Thanks again for your feedback.
Best,
Sinead
It is also ironic that Erskine Childers was executed by the Free State government for possession of a pistol that was a gift from Michael Collins.
Where’s the explanation of the caption under the picture?
Brutal work.
Hi
Thanks for your comment. The story was told by Ryan Tubridy in his JFK in Ireland book last year. He discovered that de Valera had wiped the offending part of JFK’s address to the Dáil from the record – quite extraordinary!
The “joke” was a reference to Lord Edward Fitzgerald’s line “Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.”
JFK seemingly meant it as a light hearted quip, as he added, “that was a long time ago, however”. It wasn’t enough to appease Dev, according to Seán Lemass, who heard him tell the young American that “he had done no service to Irish politicians by this quotation”.
The whole story (is a bit longer than this – so wasn’t really suitable for this article) can be read in that book if you’re interested. Hope this answers your question.
Sinead
Nothing wrong with Darby O’Gills and the Little People.
It’s a fine Cork pub.
“One of the last presidential acts of Douglas Hyde was to visit the German ambassador Eduard Hempel on May 3, 1945. During the visit, which remained a secret until 2005, he reportedly offered his condolences on the death of Adolf Hitler.”
It did not ‘remain a secret until 2005′. It was widely known and circulated at the time and afterwards. It was common knowlege when I was growing up, learning history at secondary school and subsequently at third level. In case you’re wondering I’m no six year old.
Anyone got video of Mary Robinson on the Den? looks like it was in The Best Bits of the Den DVD
Noth
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