President Xi Jinping is holding talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Beijing, state media reported, in their first sit-down in six years.
Thursday’s meeting came a day after Kim appeared with Xi, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Tiananmen Square for a Victory Day military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
It was the first time that the three leaders had gathered in the same place, in what was viewed as a rare show of unity against the West and a calculated act of defiance against US-led pressure.
It was also the North Korean leader’s first appearance on a multilateral stage since he assumed power in 2011.
This is Kim’s fifth visit to China and his sixth meeting with Xi. All of his prior trips – which occurred between March 2018 and January 2019 – sought Beijing’s backing for his diplomatic outreach to the United States and South Korea.
