Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping In Surprise Dalian Talks

President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un met in Dalian on Tuesday in a surprise visit by the North Korean leader ahead of an expected summit with US President Donald Trump.

Mainland state broadcaster CCTV showed Xi and Kim taking a seaside stroll in the northeastern city of Dalian and holding talks, while Xinhua News Agency said the two leaders met on Monday and Tuesday.

Speculation about Kim's presence in the city surfaced on Tuesday when Japanese and South Korean media reported that an airliner from the North had landed in the port city of Dalian.

South Korea's Yonhap said the plane arrived on Monday amid tight security. Japanese broadcaster NHK ran a picture of the Air Koryo plane that it said had been taken on Tuesday afternoon at Dalian's airport.

Japan's Kyodo News agency reported that the plane departed from Dalian later on Tuesday.

China is North Korea's only major ally, although trade between the countries has fallen off by around 90 percent as Beijing enforces United Nations economic sanctions in response to the North's nuclear bomb and ballistic missile tests. (AFP)

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