Kim Jong-il Goes to China Disguised as Kim Jong-il in Shades

According to the Economist:

Mr Kim likes to travel furtively and China grudgingly humours him.

But Mr Kim’s train, say South Korea’s media, did chug over the border into the Chinese city of Dandong on May 3rd and from there headed to the nearby port of Dalian. He then proceeded to the northern city of Tianjin and thence to Beijing for meetings with Chinese leaders.


thence?

North Korea's news agency, KCNA have a thrilling blow-by-blow account of the trip.

Some highlights:

Noting that the five visits paid by Kim Jong Il to China in the new century clearly prove how much he values the DPRK-China friendship provided and fostered by the leaders of the elder generation of the two countries, Li Keqiang highly praised him for having made a great contribution to steadily boosting the China-DPRK friendship.


Thanks to the leadership of Kim Jong Il the Korean people have achieved spectacular successes in the efforts to build a great prosperous and powerful nation and achieve the reunification of the country and in foreign affairs and other fields, Li said, adding that the Chinese people are rejoiced over these achievements as over their own and sincerely hail them.


The collective leadership of China including Hu Jintao is attaching utmost importance to the China-DPRK friendship, he said, re-clarifying the steadfast stand of the Chinese party and government to steadily boost the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.


Kim Jong Il said that he was very pleased to see for himself while visiting China the progress made by Dalian City making a new history of modernization in the land of China through its hard struggle. He expressed thanks to the leading officials and people of Liaoning Province and Dalian City for warmly welcoming him.


Gripping stuff!

And more here, Kim Jong Il Makes Unofficial Visit to China:

The top leaders of the two parties and two countries informed each other of the situation in their countries and had a frank exchange of views on the issue of boosting the relations between the two parties and two countries and important international and regional matters of mutual concern and reached a consensus of views.


A "frank exchange of views"? Hmmm... isn't that a euphemism for a heated disagreement? Oh well, at least they ended up reaching a "consensus of views".