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North Korea puts on a show for Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit
North Korea puts on a show for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit as Kim Jong-un ensures warm welcome
SCMP June 20 Laura Zhou
Hundreds of thousands of flag-waving citizens turned out to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a two-day state visit to North Korea.
Xi is making his first trip as president to the country, and its leader Kim Jong-un appeared to be taking no chances on ensuring him a warm welcome.
An estimated 250,000 people were mobilised to demonstrate their delight as Xi was driven through the streets of Pyongyang to a guest house in the grounds of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
Xi is making his first trip as president to the country, and its leader Kim Jong-un appeared to be taking no chances on ensuring him a warm welcome.
An estimated 250,000 people were mobilised to demonstrate their delight as Xi was driven through the streets of Pyongyang to a guest house in the grounds of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3015431/north-korea-puts-show-chinese-president-xi-jinpings-state
Xi was welcomed at the Pyongyang airport by Kim, with his wife Ri Sol Ju. Kim Yong Chol, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, and Kim’s sister Kim Yeo Jong were also present according to South Korean media reports this morning. Foreign press access which reportedly was going to be allowed after vetting of credentials was abruptly denied. This is probably a result of some unfavorable video coverage of the Vladivostok summit which showed some unflattering imagery of a sweating Kim, who arrived late, and a couple of awkward moments for Putin. The presence of Kim’s sister at these ceremonies will probably ensure a smoother and more presentable reception for Xi and his wife along with government editing. She was noticeably absent at the Vladivostok summit. Xi is expected to observe the Mass Games in Pyongyang which had recently been postponed by Kim until June 24. A friendly statement by Xi was published in the North Korea Communist Party newspaper Nodong Sinmoon prior to the Pyongyang summit was which was unprecedented. Meanwhile the US representative for nuclear negotiations with North Korea, Stephen Biegun, has been making softened public statements toward the North Korean regime in attempt to restart negotiations on behalf of the Trump administration. These statements are similar in nature to the presentation he gave at Stanford University in advance of the failed summit at Hanoi.
