BEIJING, May 5 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly plans to meet with China's president in Beijing to seek aid for economic development, authorities said.
Kim entered China by train Monday, touring the industrial ports of Dalian and Tianjin before traveling by rail to Beijing Wednesday, China Daily reported.
China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu declined Wednesday to confirm Kim's visit, saying only China and North Korea have a "tradition of high-level visits," Yonhap news agency reported.
Kim was expected to meet Thursday in Beijing with Chinese President Hu Jintao to discuss economic aid and a return to stalled six-party talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear facilities, Yonhap reported.
Kim's visit was not expected to be marred by fallout from the March 26 sinking of a South Korean naval ship, which many South Koreans say they believe was torpedoed by North Korea.
"Before any concrete proof comes out of the investigation, China will surely remain neutral and not take sides," said Da Wei, a scholar at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
