Kim Jong Un committed to denuclearizing Korean Peninsula, Chinese state media reports

Jane Onyanga-Omara | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Poll: Americans are less fearful of North Korea's nuclear weapons The Associated Press - NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey shows that last October 67 percent of people were worried about the threat that North Korea posed to the U.S. and its allies. That number has now dropped to 50 percent.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on his first foreign visit since taking power that he is committed to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, Chinese state media reported Wednesday.

Kim paid an "unofficial visit" to Beijing from Sunday to Wednesday, official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported, confirming days of speculation that the the reclusive leader had traveled to his country's closest ally. It was Kim's first foreign trip since taking power in late 2011.

Xinhua said Kim met with President Xi Jinping in Beijing at the Chinese leader’s request. The visit is a precursor to another much-anticipated meeting later this year between Kim and President Trump.

Kim said on his trip to Beijing that the situation on the Korean Peninsula was starting to improve after Pyongyang took the initiative to ease tensions and proposed peace talks.

"It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearization on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late President Kim Il Sung and late General Secretary Kim Jong Il," Kim said referring to his predecessors, according to Xinhua.

He said North Korea was determined to embark on a relationship of reconciliation and cooperation with South Korea and hold a leaders summit, the news agency said. Kim also said North Korea is willing to hold a summit with the United States.

North Korea's state media has been silent about Kim's planned meetings with President Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, according to the South's Yonhap news agency.

Trump and Kim agreed to meet by May to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. As part of the deal, North Korea agreed to suspend missiles and nuclear weapons tests and to not object publicly to joint military drills held by the U.S. and South Korea, the White House said.

More: Trump claims progress with North Korea, still plans to meet with Kim Jong Un

President Trump tweeted Wednesday: "Received message last night from XI JINPING of China that his meeting with KIM JONG UN went very well and that KIM looks forward to his meeting with me. In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!"

International sanctions are in place over the North's nuclear and missile programs.

Trump also tweeted: "For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility. Now there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity. Look forward to our meeting!"

Received message last night from XI JINPING of China that his meeting with KIM JONG UN went very well and that KIM looks forward to his meeting with me. In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018

For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility. Now there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity. Look forward to our meeting! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2018

The meeting would be the first between a U.S. president and a leader of the reclusive nation. Delegates from North and South Korea and the United States met last week in Finland to discuss issues ahead of the proposed summit.

A 21-car train with green paint and yellow stripes, similar to the train Kim's late father Kim Jong Il rode to China in 2011, entered Beijing this week, sparking speculation that Kim was visiting.

North Korean state TV aired a 40-minute report on the summit between Kim and Xi on Wednesday, but without any video of the meetings. Footage released by China Central Television showed Kim sitting at a long table with Xi.

Kim said he aimed to meet with Chinese officials, enhance strategic communication, and deepen the traditional friendship between the two nations on the trip, Xinhua reported. He said he hoped to meet with Xi often.

Kim said the situation on the Korean Peninsula situation is developing rapidly and many important changes have taken place, and that he felt he should inform Xi in person, according to Xinhua.

Xi and Kim held talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet for Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, Xinhua said. They also watched an art performance together, Xinhua said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the Chinese government contacted the U.S. to alert them about the trip. The briefing included a “personal message from President Xi to President Trump,” which was conveyed to the president, Sanders said. She did not say what that message entails.

She stressed that the U.S. has been in close contact with South Korea and Japan and sees the development “as further evidence that our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told lawmakers Wednesday that he is worried that President Trump will focus on intercontinental ballistic missiles and not discuss shorter-range missiles that threaten Japan at the U.S.-North Korea summit, the Associated Press reported.

He said he wanted to remind Trump of his concerns during an expected trip to the U.S. next month and called for Trump to seek North Korea’s full nuclear and missile abandonment, and not just a nuclear test ban.

Contributing: Mike James, the Associated Press