Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator is much more shrewd than he is given credit for. This time he traveled in a bulletproof train from Pyongyang to Beijing. The train because of its extra armor and weight reportedly just achieved a speed of 37 miles per hour. The train was last used by the father of Kim when he traveled to Moscow in 2001. People who traveled by the train point to the opulence on display. One traveler even claimed that live lobsters were available with the choices of French wines on board. Yahoo News has reported that finally President Xi and Kim acknowledged the trip and the Chinese president also informed president Donald Trump about it.
Historic visit
The visit by Kim Jong-un is a historic trip as it was his first visit outside North Korea after he came to power seven years ago. One will have to wait and see whether it will pave the way for denuclearization of North Korea which is what the US president is aiming for. In similar circumstances the Fuehrer, Adolf Hitler traveled by train from Berlin to the Spanish border to meet General Franciso Franco of Spain. This happened after the defeat of France in 40 days by the Wehrmacht. The German leader traveled by a special bulletproof train to meet the Spanish leader. The meeting lasted close to 12 hours at the railway station of Hendaye.
The meeting led to no result despite the fact that Franco owed much to Germany in his quest for power.
Hitler failed to persuade Franco to join the war along with him, and the German leader went back empty-handed.
Kim in Beijing
The North Korean leader spent four days in Beijing. Nobody knows what really transpired between president Xi and Kim except for a message by the Chinese president to Trump that the meeting went "very well." This term "very well" can mean so many things and does not point to the fact that the North will denuclearize.
It is possible that the discussions between Kim and Xi centered around how to placate the USA. Trump has been beating the war drum and a strike on the North, but he also knows that the South will not acquiescence to it, and the end result could be the destruction of the Korean peninsula.
Future
Though the visit of Kim to Beijing has kindled fond hopes of nuclear disarmament by the North, yet such a thing only appears as a very remote possibility.
Many are of the opinion that the trip to Beijing and a meeting with Trump is just a ploy to buy time. However, it should not be forgotten that Trump is a decisive man and he may yet pull a rabbit out of the hat.
