CHINA: NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG-IL MEETS WITH PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN DURING TOP-SECRET VISIT
Record ID:
1376965
CHINA: NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG-IL MEETS WITH PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN DURING TOP-SECRET VISIT
- Title: CHINA: NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG-IL MEETS WITH PRESIDENT JIANG ZEMIN DURING TOP-SECRET VISIT
- Date: 21st January 2001
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JANUARY 20, 2001) (REUTERS) SLV PAN BANQUET; SCU ZEMIN SITTING AT BANQUET; SCU KIM SITTING AT BANQUET; SCU VICE-PREMIER HU JINTAO SMILING; SCU WEI JIANXIN, SECRETARY OF DISCIPLINE AT THE INSPECTION COMMITTEE LISTENING (5 SHOTS) SCU KIM AND JIANG SEATED TOGETHER ZOOM OUT SLV PRESS CONFERENCE; SCU CAMERAMAN (2 SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) ZHU BANGZAO, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "Kim Jong-il, General-Secretary of the Central Committee of Workers' Party of Korea was happy to see Jiang Zemin, General-Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China ( CPC) again as well as top Communist Party leaders and top government officials. He also expressed his happiness at viewing the great achievements that have taken place in Shanghai." SLV PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) ZHU BANGZAO, SAYING "China respects the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (D.P.R.K) choice. We will respect whatever kind of policy the D.P.R.K. choses to persue after Kim Jong-il's visit to China." SLV NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) ZHU BANGZAO, SAYING: "The visit is of important significance to Sino-D.P.R.K relations in the new century. Leaders agreed to make more efforts to further consolidate, develop and deepen the traditional friendship personally fostered and nurtured by leaders of the older generation, and to push forward bilateral relations to a new level of development." SLV NEWS CONFERENCE MV KIM AT TRAIN STATION HUGGING CHINESE OFFICIALS; SCU KIM WAVING FROM TRAIN DOOR; CHINESE OFFICIALS WAVING KIM OFF (2 SHOTS)
- Embargoed: 13th October 2014 04:54
- Keywords:
- Location: SHANGHAI AND BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAEV00URTGHQMGBNQM0VH1MHSOU
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il has visited Beijing and Shanghai on a top-secret trip, holding meetings with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other high-level officials.
According to a Chinese source the main focus of Kim's trip to Shanghai was to look at China's two decades of economic reforms.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has told Chinese President Jiang Zemin that Beijing's Communist rulers had been right to launch economic reforms and open up to the world, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman has said.
Kim, whose country's state-controlled economy lost support with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and has suffered several years of natural disasters as well as mismanagement, made the comments after touring Shanghai, China's commercial capital.
Kim told Jiang the changes "show that the Chinese people's policy of reform and opening up is correct", Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao told reporters.
The North Korean leader has already called for "new thinking" at home and pledged to pursue all-out economic reconstruction.
Kim spent four-days in Shanghai, touring the financial capital's stock exchange and other flagship Sino-foreign (China-foreign) joint ventures such as NEC Corp's $1.2 billion US semiconductor foundry in Zhangjiang.
Kim, accompanied by Premier Zhu, whose policies have made China a magnet for multinational money, toured General Motors' $1.5 billion Buick plant on Wednesday (January 15).
Kim, his economy in shambles and his population stalked by famine over the last few years, opened 2001 with a series of statements in North Korean media calling for "new thinking" and pledging to pursue all-out economic construction.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao addressed a news conference on Saturday (January 20) regarding Kim's visit to China.
"He (Kim), expressed his happiness at viewing the great achievements that have taken place in Shanghai," said Zhu Bangzao.
"The visit is of important significance to Sino-D.P.R.K (Chinese - Democratic People's Republic of Korea) relations in the new century. Leaders agreed to make more efforts to further consolidate, develop and deepen the traditional friendship personally fostered and nurtured by leaders of the older generation, and to push forward bilateral relations to a new level of development," he added.
Analysts have suggested Kim's visit to Shanghai, treated as a "state secret" by China, was to gain hints on how to open up his economy to Western influences as well as investment, without losing power.
Kim Dae-jung commented during Kim's visit that North Korea wanted to become a second China.
The Chinese Communist Party has made wrenching economic reforms but does not tolerate any organised opposition. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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