After days of speculation, it has been confirmed that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un did pay a visit to Beijing. The visit, confirmed by China and North Korea, was Mr Kim's first known foreign trip since taking office in 2011. He held "successful talks" with President Xi Jinping, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
China is North Korea's main economic ally and it was thought highly likely it would consult Beijing before planned summits with South Korea and the US. Mr Kim is due to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April, and US President Donald Trump in May. The Beijing visit is considered a significant step in North Korea's preparation for the proposed talks.
It's the latest in a flurry of diplomatic activity since the start of the year sparked by the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Relations between North Korea and China, historically strong, had been deteriorating, with China backing US moves to tighten international sanctions in response to the North's growing nuclear threat. But China, a military giant over the border, is still responsible for virtually all of North Korea's food and fuel aid. It has largely been an observer of the recent diplomatic moves by Pyongyang towards the US and South Korea.
"It makes sense for North Korea to explain their positions and co-ordinate with China, their most important partner," Andray Abrahamian, research fellow at Pacific Forum CSIS, told the BBC.
"Relations have been extremely strained the last five years and China has been sidelined in the diplomacy of the last several months," he said.
"From Beijing's perspective, this is a visit that should have happened some time ago."
To some extent, this is a "symbolic visit of courtesy" to China, Fyodor Tertitskiy of North Korea monitoring site NK News, said.
"They have two upcoming summits - one with Seoul and one with Washington - and they are probably interested in hearing the Chinese position as well."
KCNA also said Mr Xi had accepted an invitation to return the visit.
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