WEB DESK
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly wants denuclearization to be carried out in stages, with the backing of China.
Kim is in Beijing on a 2-day visit, his third in recent months. It comes just one week after the historic summit with US President Donald Trump.
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Kim at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday.
Chinese state media says Xi praised the “positive” outcome of the US-North Korea summit in Singapore.
Xi was quoted as saying that Kim and Trump had reached a basic consensus on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, and building permanent peace there.
Kim reportedly told Xi that if North Korea and the United States implement what was agreed at the summit step by step, the denuclearization efforts will reach an important stage.
Observers say that North Korea aims to gain rewards that match its progress. The US plans to maintain its sanctions against the North until Pyongyang abandons its nuclear program.