North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned home on Saturday after making a day-long trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong, Beijing's state media reported, though the purpose of the unannounced visit was not immediately clear and there was no mention of talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping. Kim is thought to have crossed into China via a major border bridge that officially opened last week, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between China and diplomatically isolated North Korea. Neither North Korea nor China disclosed Kim's visit in advance. South Korean lawmaker Youn Kun-young said Kim was "understood" to have met Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday. A readout from China's Xinhua news agency did not mention talks between Kim and Xi or Li. Instead, it said Wang Huning, Beijing's top political advisor, accompanied Kim in Dandong and "saw him off" at the bridge at the end of the trip. The aims and outcomes of Kim's visit were murky, but China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for Pyongyang. Xinhua quoted Wang as saying the visit was significant for "consolidating public goodwill towards the friendship... (and) deepening political mutual trust and jointly pursuing cooperation and development". He also said China and North Korea should expand personnel exchanges, economic cooperation and strategic coordination, "to foster a peaceful and stable external environment for safeguarding their respective sovereignty, security and development interests", according to Xinhua. Wang conveyed Xi's "cordial greetings and best wishes" to the North Korean leader. The trip fell near the date both countries use to mark the entry of Chinese troops into the Korean War. Kim attended a memorial ceremony to fallen soldiers and visited an automobile factory, Xinhua said. China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, also took part in the events, it added. Youn, the South Korean lawmaker, said he had been briefed on Friday that a visit was likely. The trip could send a "positive signal" about a possible US-North Korea summit, he said in a statement sent to AFP. World leaders are preparing for November's APEC summit in China's Shenzhen, where it has been speculated that Kim may meet US President Donald Trump.
