North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited on Wednesday the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, setting the stage for discussions expected to be a sign of China's support their isolated state. Neither China nor North Korea have openly confirmed the secretive Kim's visit, but after the arrival of his train, a convoy passed through central Beijing's Chang'an Avenue under police protection especially harsh, suggesting that it was in China's capital.
In the afternoon the convoy, which included a long Mercedes Benz, was from the guesthouse Diaoyutai State to the Great Hall of the People, the Parliament building in Tiananmen Square where they usually receive foreign leaders. This would be the third trip by Kim to China in a year, marking a departure from the recent past, when he left his country and he did in his personal train.
It is believed that he is afraid to fly. The South Korean news agency Yonhap said Kim was in Beijing "apparently for a meeting" with Chinese President Hu Jintao, North Korean leader received in his two visits last year. Impoverished North Korea has been scouring the world for food aid and analysts say that Kim is interested in ensuring China's support for his youngest son to assume at some point the family dynasty that has ruled the country since its founding.
Kim also want diplomatic support from China, the biggest supporter of his country, said Cai Jian, a professor of Korean studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. As ties with South Korea and the rest of the world have worn, Pyongyang has relied more on Beijing for economic and diplomatic aid.
Beijing sees North Korea as a buffer against the United States and its regional allies, and tried to reaffirm the link in recent years with more aid, trade and visits. China's fear that the death or illness of Kim, 69, could trigger instability in North Korea has increased its desire to strengthen its influence on Pyongyang as Kim prepares his son, Kim Jong-un, to take power , say many analysts.
China has also encouraged the North Korean leaders to make progress in reforms to revive its precarious economy. Beijing has used the visit to push Kim to return to negotiations aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program. North Korea alarmed the region with atomic test explosions in 2006 and 2009 that earned him the UN sanctions backed by Beijing. 
In the afternoon the convoy, which included a long Mercedes Benz, was from the guesthouse Diaoyutai State to the Great Hall of the People, the Parliament building in Tiananmen Square where they usually receive foreign leaders. This would be the third trip by Kim to China in a year, marking a departure from the recent past, when he left his country and he did in his personal train.
It is believed that he is afraid to fly. The South Korean news agency Yonhap said Kim was in Beijing "apparently for a meeting" with Chinese President Hu Jintao, North Korean leader received in his two visits last year. Impoverished North Korea has been scouring the world for food aid and analysts say that Kim is interested in ensuring China's support for his youngest son to assume at some point the family dynasty that has ruled the country since its founding.
Kim also want diplomatic support from China, the biggest supporter of his country, said Cai Jian, a professor of Korean studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. As ties with South Korea and the rest of the world have worn, Pyongyang has relied more on Beijing for economic and diplomatic aid.
Beijing sees North Korea as a buffer against the United States and its regional allies, and tried to reaffirm the link in recent years with more aid, trade and visits. China's fear that the death or illness of Kim, 69, could trigger instability in North Korea has increased its desire to strengthen its influence on Pyongyang as Kim prepares his son, Kim Jong-un, to take power , say many analysts.
China has also encouraged the North Korean leaders to make progress in reforms to revive its precarious economy. Beijing has used the visit to push Kim to return to negotiations aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program. North Korea alarmed the region with atomic test explosions in 2006 and 2009 that earned him the UN sanctions backed by Beijing.
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