North Korea's Kim greets China's Wen at start of trip

Premier Wen was "greeted at the airport" by Kim -- the secretive leader who dominates all big decisions in his country -- said a report from China's Xinhua news agency.

Wen later held talks with North Korean Premier Kim Yong-Il, no relative to his supreme leader.

Kim Jong-il's unusual outing followed by Wen's talks with the Premier was a show of how serious North Korea is about shoring up ties with Beijing, which gives its poor neighbour crucial economic help and diplomatic backing.

Kim Jong-il is widely believed to have suffered a serious illness last year, and it is rare for him to personally greet an arriving visitor. Even audiences are uncommon.

Wen's trip coincides with the 60th anniversary of formal ties between the two communist neighbours. His three days in North Korea are likely to feature soothing gestures of friendship, and not the hard-nosed negotiations over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons that preoccupy other powers..

But analysts said China, the closest North Korea has to an ally, would not send such a senior visitor unless it had some assurance from Pyongyang that could ease tensions over its nuclear weapons activities, following a second nuclear test and its claims to have made progress in enriching uranium.

"This visit will be mostly focused on bolstering bilateral relations and the 60th anniversary, but the nuclear issue is sure to come up," said Zhu Feng, a professor of international security at Peking University.

"The key question will be whether North Korea goes beyond its recent statements and directly expresses willingness to return to the six-party (nuclear disarmament) talks," said Zhu. "That would be China's goal for this visit."

On arriving in Pyongyang, Wen said he hoped his visit will deepen friendship with North Korea, according to the China News Service, an official news agency.

But he also said he wanted "a frank and thorough exchange of views with North Korean leaders on bilateral relations and issues of shared concern," according to the report.

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