BEIJING — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was given a lavish welcome by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a secretive trip to Beijing as both sides seek to repair frayed ties before Pyongyang’s landmark summits with Seoul and Washington. On his first trip abroad since taking power, Kim and his wife were greeted by an honor guard and a banquet hosted by Xi, according to state media, which confirmed the “unofficial” visit on Wednesday only after Kim had returned by train to North Korea. The two men held talks at the stately Great Hall of the People during which they hailed their nations’ historic relations, with Kim pledging he was “committed to denuclearization” on the Korean peninsula, according to China’s Xinhua news agency. Kim also expressed willingness to hold the summits with US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, it said. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who has agreed to meet with Kim Jong Un, said on Wednesday there is a now a good chance the North Korean leader will give up his country’s nuclear weapons. “For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility,” Trump wrote in an early morning tweet. “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!,” Trump added. Kim told Xi there was “no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese capital”, according to North Korea’s official KCNA news agency. “This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC (North Korea-China) relations through generations.” KCNA said Xi accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang, which would be his first trip to the North Korean capital since he took power in 2012. The two men had not met since Kim took over after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in December 2011, and relations have been strained as China has backed a series of UN sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile tests. But Xi underscored the importance of developing ties, saying it was “a strategic choice and the only right choice” and that he was willing to maintain frequent contact with Kim “under the new circumstances”, according to Xinhua. Xi and Kim shook hands and sat across from each other at a long conference table, both flanked by officials, at the Great Hall of the People, according to television images which showed the North Korean leader taking meticulous notes. Later, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, waved goodbye while Kim and his spouse, Ri Sol Ju, smiled as they left in a black car. Chinese and North Korean state media said the visit started Sunday and ended on Wednesday. Analysts said Xi likely wanted to see Kim to ensure North Korea does not cut a deal with Trump that hurts Chinese interests during a summit expected to be held in May. Kim’s visit puts China back in the diplomatic game after appearing sidelined by Pyongyang’s approaches to Seoul and Washington. “It shows that at this crucial juncture, Kim and Xi believed that it was time to seize the opportunity to consult,” Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said. “Both likely concluded that further deterioration in relations would be harmful.” — AFP