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North Korea and China's leaders shake hands at the official meeting. Xinhua News Agency/PA Images

China and North Korea confirm that Kim Jong-un took a secret trip to Beijing

It was Kim’s first trip abroad since taking power in North Korea.

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.

© AFP 2018

Read: Speculation is rife that Kim Jong Un just took a special armoured train into China

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    Mute Mill Lane
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:22 PM

    0 out of 10.

    I thought they were election posters.

    335
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    Mute thomas patrick
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:53 PM

    @Mill Lane: always some clown who turns everything back to the oul politicians “gag”

    46
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    Mute devils avacado
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    Jan 26th 2020, 1:46 AM

    @thomas patrick: ahh come on Tom,, I’m a huge SC-FI fan,, but that was a good gag….:)

    62
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    Mute Dave Stewart
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    Jan 26th 2020, 3:06 AM

    @Mill Lane: me too

    14
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    Mute joanne healy
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:10 PM

    10/10 love love love Star Trek.

    129
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    Mute Arya
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:00 PM

    @joanne healy: Kardashians? Hahahahha. They are aliens? I knew it!

    47
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    Mute Mirabelle Stonegate
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    Jan 26th 2020, 9:38 AM

    @Arya: I have only ever watched keeping up with the Kardashians once, for about 5 minutes. I remember thinking someone had screwed up the spelling of cardassian, but was excited to think they might have their own spin off , as I enjoyed garak as a character. Yeah, I was very very disappointed when I learned the truth.

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    Mute Burn_the_Witch
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:16 PM

    Never watched it. Got 7/10. Pretty happy with that.

    31
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    Mute dstaffx
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:31 PM

    @Burn_the_Witch: the force is strong in this one ( I did that on purpose ha ha ha ha)

    27
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    Mute Kevin Maughan
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    Jan 26th 2020, 10:34 AM

    @Burn_the_Witch: Tempted now?! Ah go on!

    3
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    Mute The Risen
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:46 PM

    9 out of 10, ok for a Trekkie I guess. Oh, and Star Trek Picard episode one is outstanding!

    31
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    Mute Matthew Gorman
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    Jan 26th 2020, 1:24 PM

    @The Risen: agreed saw it last night.

    4
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    Mute Mick McGuinness
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:17 PM

    I got 50/50 couldn’t ask a friend lol, hope Star Trek Picard will be on TV here soon.

    19
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    Mute Derek
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:52 PM

    @Mick McGuinness: watched it earlier, story has real potential and has plenty references for fans and some cool guest appeances. Stewart’s a class act. Definitely going on my weekly viewing list.

    38
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    Mute Ronan Fahy
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:42 PM

    @Mick McGuinness: amazon prime only I’m afraid. Discovery season 1 only appeared on channel 4 about 3 years after first airing so I wouldnt wait that long

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    Mute Dave Stewart
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    Jan 26th 2020, 3:08 AM

    @Derek: the future is vast Derek

    1
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    Mute Derek
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    Jan 26th 2020, 11:27 AM

    @Mick McGuinness: install Typhoon TV if you have an android device to watch it, handy app as I’ve found a lot of shows aren’t available outside US/Canada or not available here yet on Amazon or Netflix

    1
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    Mute Bríd
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    Jan 26th 2020, 12:51 PM

    @Mick McGuinness: Amazon Prime Video is 2.99 a month. Worth it for Picard.

    3
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    Mute Christopher Mulrooney #WeAreStarfleet
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    Jan 26th 2020, 12:35 AM

    10/10 though i did a rewatch of the entire franchise(shows and movies) in the last 6 months so everything is mostly fresh in my mind. Love Star Trek.

    16
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    Mute Tricia G
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:11 PM

    Actually sitting here after watching Voyager and now on TNG and still only got 7, sheesh!

    16
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    Mute Ricky
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:31 PM

    @Tricia G: Voyager was class…

    21
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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Jan 25th 2020, 11:09 PM

    @Ricky: pity they didn’t have a final film w Voyager and DS9 crew

    Rick Bergman made a balls of it all

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    Mute Ricky
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    Jan 26th 2020, 9:54 AM

    @Quentin Moriarty: Voyager finale was very rushed, especially the last 10-15 minutes. And Enterprise wasn’t really any good. So looking forward to seeing what happened after Voyager ended.

    5
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    Mute Figo murphy
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:12 PM

    You should have put a wrong answer to one of them and watch the internet break down.

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    Mute Nathan Hayes
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:43 PM

    8/10, thought I knew the show better

    9
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    Mute John Quinn
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    Jan 25th 2020, 11:25 PM

    9/10 love it!!

    8
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    Mute Phillip O'Brien
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    Jan 25th 2020, 10:04 PM

    Some options are plain ridiculous. Obviously little thought put into it.

    11
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    Mute brefanlfc
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    Jan 26th 2020, 9:45 AM

    @Phillip O’Brien: Have you ever kissed a girl?

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    Mute Phillip O'Brien
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    Jan 26th 2020, 11:53 AM

    @brefanlfc: A lot, yes; what’s your point.

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    Mute Dominic Kenneally
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    Jan 26th 2020, 1:08 AM

    7/10..make it so!

    8
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    Mute sean
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    Jan 26th 2020, 2:10 AM

    @Dominic Kenneally: say that to Alexa

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    Mute Cormac Laffan
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:33 PM

    8 outta 10.!!
    Ok, only knew Q and that was because of James Bond..

    7
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    Mute
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    Jan 26th 2020, 1:45 AM

    10/10 Doesn’t happen often for me so I’m happy. Love Star Trek. Had to eliminate some wrong answers for a couple.

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    Mute Damien Mc Padden
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    Jan 26th 2020, 3:23 AM

    @: There are 4 lights!

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    Mute Jason Ebbs
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:21 PM

    3/10….thank God for that.

    6
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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Jan 25th 2020, 11:07 PM

    Star Trek the wrath of Khan
    Nothing compares in the ST universe

    “……when I swing around I mean to deprive you of life “

    9
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    Mute Ger Power
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    Jan 26th 2020, 1:16 AM

    7/10 v happy with that. My wife is a massive Star Trek fan. Gonna send her the quiz now. Be great if I could beat her, would be like her beating me on a 24 quiz

    6
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    Mute Joe Kennedy
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    Jan 26th 2020, 3:27 AM

    @Ger Power: make sure and keep us all in the loop how she gets on Ger!!

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    Mute Ger
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    Jan 26th 2020, 4:59 AM

    First quiz where I ever got 10/10 and I’m not really a big fan. Only watched Next Generation

    5
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    Mute Colm Curran
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:22 PM

    5/10 wats star trek

    3
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    Mute Lukevic101
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    Jan 26th 2020, 10:01 AM

    Get in, 10/10 on my 14th attempt. I knew I could do it!

    3
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    Mute Joe Kennedy
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    Jan 26th 2020, 10:41 AM

    @Lukevic101: perseverance Luke, fair play. As the old proverb says….”if at first you don’t succeed, give it a load more goes!!”

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    Mute Ricky
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    Jan 25th 2020, 9:58 PM

    10…Dog..Next…

    3
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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jan 25th 2020, 11:51 PM

    Ah ! Bad enough if I thought I was missing a dolphin. More quizzes please.

    4
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