North Korean ruler Kim Jong-il's armoured train arrived in Beijing today to set the stage for a summit with Chinese leaders.
A motorcade later swept down central Beijing's Chang'an Avenue under unusually tight police guard, suggesting the secretive Kim was in the Chinese capital.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Kim was there "apparently for a summit meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao". Neither China nor North Korea have confirmed the visit.
This would be the third trip to China in just over a year for Kim, who in previous years rarely travelled abroad and then only in his personal train, reportedly scared of flying.
Impoverished North Korea has recently been scouring the world for food aid, and analysts say Kim is keen to ensure China's support for his youngest son to eventually take over the family dynasty that has ruled the North since its founding.
As ties with South Korea and most of the outside world have soured, Pyongyang has been forced to rely increasingly on Beijing for economic and diplomatic support.
"He seems to want to tacitly remind China's current leadership of their solidarity and call on them to fulfill their obligation as a big brother," a South Korean newspaper, the JoongAng Daily, said.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Tokyo on the weekend that Kim was in China to study "economic development", it was reported.
Reuters