North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il held summit talks on Friday in Shanghai with China's President Jiang Zemin, according to diplomatic sources quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Kim, who started a second secretive visit to China on Monday, also cancelled a planned visit to the Chinese Boom City of Shenzhen, according to sources quoted by the news agency.
A diplomatic source in Beijing told the agency Kim and Jiang held a one hour meeting to discuss topics including the situation in Northeast Asia and the launch of the new administration led by George W Bush in the United States.
“The two met in Shanghai to avoid complicated protocol on Beijing and to give the North Korean leader more time to outline his plans for reform and opening up his isolated country,” the source was quoted as saying.
Kim's unexpected visit to the stock exchange was apparently made possible as he had completed his schedule with Jiang, according to the diplomatic source.
Bureau Report