North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Chinese President
Xi Jinping in the northeastern Chinese city of
Dalian on Monday and Tuesday,
China's foreign ministry has announced.
It is the second summit between the two leaders in less than two months, after they held a secret meeting in the Chinese capital of Beijing in late March.
The March meeting was Kim's first international trip since he assumed power in 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, and was seen as a warming of ties between the two fractious allies.
This week's talks come after a historic summit in late April between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and ahead of a highly anticipated summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump, which is expected to take place by late May or early June.
North Korean state media KCTV said Kim flew to Dalian on his private jet, arriving on Monday, where he was welcomed by high-profile Chinese officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
In the past, North Korean leaders have been reluctant to travel by air on international journeys, especially Kim's father, who famously went everywhere in his personal armored train.
Kim was likely seeking guidance from the Chinese leader ahead of his high-profile summit with Trump, according to former British charge d'affaires to North Korea Jim Hoare. "Kim Jong Un is looking for advice, support and encouragement," he told CNN.
During the Dalian meeting, Xi praised Kim for "promoting inter-Korean dialogue and easing tension," with both leaders reiterating their commitment to denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, according to the foreign ministry.
Xi also said he was pleased to see Kim visiting China again so soon after his first trip, saying it showed how seriously the North Korean leader took the bilateral relationship.
'A historical new golden era'While China and North Korea have long been allies, their diplomatic relationship grew rocky following Kim's rise to power.
The young leader stirred up tensions on the Korean Peninsula with his nuclear weapons testing and purging of several key officials close to Beijing, including his uncle, Jang Song Thaek.
But on Tuesday, North Korean state media KCNA praised the relationship between the two countries as "in the midst of a historical new golden era."
Xi held a welcome banquet for the North Korean leader and took a casual stroll with him along a beach, Chinese state media Xinhua reported.
"In a cordial and friendly atmosphere, the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries had an all-round and in-depth exchange of views on China-DPRK relations and major issues of common concern," Xinhua reported.
Top-level officials from both North Korea and China attended the summit, including Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong and Wang Huning, a member of China's powerful seven-man Politburo Standing Committee, according to Chinese state media.
The Chinese President is reportedly planning a trip to the North Korean capital Pyongyang, an official told CNN in April, but no date has been announced as yet.
After news of the meeting between the two leaders was released, Trump announced that he would be speaking to "my friend" Xi on Tuesday.
"The primary topics will be trade, where good things will happen, and North Korea, where relationships and trust are building," Trump tweeted.