China hushed on Kim's secret visit
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China is keeping the lid on reports of a secretive visit to Beijing by North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong Il.
South Korean media reports said Kim, who travels only by train, arrived at Beijing on Monday amid heavy secrecy and held his first ever summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
But China on Tuesday refused to confirm Kim's arrival, insisting instead that such high level visits are routines between the neighboring countries.
"Both countries and their leaders have kept open communications through various channels and intend to maintain such crucial dialogues," said Kong Quan, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Kim is expected to stay in China until Thursday in his first trip since Hu became president last year.
The visit also comes less than a week after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney visited China.
Cheney presented Beijing with new evidence of Pyongyang's nuclear arms programs and told Chinese leaders "time was not necessarily on our side" in resolving the crisis.
Kim is believed to be seeking support on his nuclear position and fledgling economic reforms from China -- Pyongyang's long-time communist ally, largest trading partner and major provider of aid.
China has been instrumental in bringing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table in an attempt to resolve the nuclear stalemate on the Korean Peninsula.
During his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Kim said he was ready to scrap North Korea's nuclear arms program if the United States changes its "hostile attitude," South Korea's media reported.
The reclusive North Korean leader is also expected to meet with his counterpart, military chief and former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, as well as tour a high-tech zone while in Beijing.
Beijing has hosted two rounds of the so-called six-party talks that have also included the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia.
China said preparations for the next round of talks are well underway and it has been in close contact with other participants.
"We have submitted a basic agenda for the next round of talks to the other five nations, and some disagreements may still remain," said Kong. "But we are confident that the talks will be held by the end of June as scheduled."
When Kim visited China in 2000 and 2001, neither side announced the trips in advance and barely released details until his return to Pyongyang.
Since taking over power in 1994 from his late father President Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il has been seeking to reform the North's impoverished economy, and has been eyeing China's market efforts.
In his 2001 trip, Kim toured Shanghai's stock exchange and foreign joint-venture companies.
