China confirms Kim Jong-un meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing

Beijing : North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was on an unofficial surprise visit to Beijing from Sunday to Wednesday, reported China's state news agency Xinhua. 

This was his first known abroad visit ever since 2011 when he assumed power. 

Xinhua published a photograph of Kim and Xi Jinping shaking hands in front of the flags of the two nations.

Speculations about Kim Jong-un visiting China erupted soon after a heavily armoured train was spotted in China, along with a heavy security and large motorcade.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Kim visited China from Sunday to Wednesday with his wife, Ri Sol Ju. It cited North Korea without elaborating.

He also invited Xi to visit North Korea. Xi has accepted the invitation, said Yonhap.

The meeting comes with an agenda to prepare well before summits involving the two Koreas and the United States.

Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, met then-president Jiang Zemin in China in 2000 before a summit between the two Koreas in June that year. That visit was seen at the time as reaffirmation of close ties with Beijing.