The motorcade of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un headed out Wednesday morning to an unannounced destination on the second full day of a visit to China that has been shrouded in secrecy but is seen as part of preparations for a possible second summit with President Donald Trump.
Kim could not be seen but the limousine he uses was observed zipping east down a main thoroughfare in Beijing and then returning about an hour later.
His trip to China, the fourth in the past 10 months, is believed to be an effort to coordinate with his only major ally ahead of a possible second meeting with Trump.
It comes after US and North Korean officials are thought to have met in Vietnam to discuss the site of the summit.
North Korean and Chinese state media have announced his visit but provided no details of what he has done since arriving aboard his personal armoured train on Tuesday morning.
He was believed to have met with President Xi Jinping Xi on Tuesday afternoon, but no news has been released about the day's events.
At Tuesday's daily Foreign Ministry briefing, spokesman Lu Kang gave no details about Kim's schedule or China's role as an intermediary between the US and North Korea.
He said Beijing remains supportive of efforts to end tensions over US demands for a halt to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
"We always believe that, as key parties to the Korean Peninsula issue, it's important for the two sides to maintain contact and we always support their dialogue to achieve positive outcomes," Lu told reporters.
He said further information about Kim's activities, the outcome of his meetings and a possible visit by Xi to North Korea would be "released in due course."
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