North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an unofficial visit to Beijing, according to state media.
The confirmation of the visit capped days of speculation that were fuelled by images of a mysterious train arriving in the Chinese capital city.
While China has closer relations with isolated North Korea than most countries, the visit was still notable for being the first time Mr Kim is known to have left North Korea since assuming power.
Government-aligned Chinese outlet Xinhua said the two leaders praised ties between their countries and cited Mr Xi lauding “positive changes” that “had taken place on the Korean Peninsula since this year”.
Mr Kim said he was satisfied to have reached an agreement with Mr Xi on issues of mutual agreement and that friendly bilateral ties were mutually beneficial and a “common strategic choice”, the North Korean state news agency KCNA reported.
In his meeting with Mr Kim, the Chinese president stressed the “goal of denuclearisation of the [Korean] peninsula, safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula and solving problems through dialogue and consultation”.
As North Korea has rattled the world with belligerent language and a series of intercontinental ballistic missile tests, China has both condemned North Korea aggression and chastised America and its allies for escalating the situation. Beijing has called for an end with joint US-South Korean military drills that Pyongyang views as provocations.
Opening the possibility of a detente, North Korea used the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea to send emissaries and engage in talks with its southern neighbour. Those efforts culminated in Mr Kim inviting Donald Trump to an unprecedented meeting between the two leaders, which Mr Trump accepted.
Mr Kim pledged in a missive floating those negotiations to suspend nuclear and weapons tests, did not call for a halt in military exercises and said he was “committed to denuclearisation”, according to a top South Korean official.
