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China silent on Kim visit

BEIJING: Beijing this week maintained silence on the reported visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, amid reports that he had arrived in northeastern China this week along with his son and designated successor.

On Friday, South Korean media and some local channels showed a convoy driving through Jilin near the border with North Korea.

This will be Mr. Kim's second visit to China in only three months — an unusual occurrence for a leader who rarely travels out of his country. Some analysts viewed the visit as a platform for Mr. Kim to secure Chinese support for his succession plans, with his son Kim Jong-un reported to have travelled along with him.

Even as Mr. Kim was reported to be travelling in northeastern China on Friday, the former United States President, Jimmy Carter, left the North Korean capital Pyongyang after securing the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes, an American who had been imprisoned in January after reportedly entering North Korea illegally. It remained unclear whether Mr. Carter had met Mr. Kim .

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