Trump is looking forward to meeting Kim Jong un

Trump is looking forward to meeting Kim Jong un

President Donald Trump says he's looking forward to meeting Kim Jong-un at a nuclear summit where he believes there's a strong chance the brutal North Korean dictator will agree to abandon his illicit weapons program.

Trump said Wednesday that he had received a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping following Kim's shock visit to Beijing affirming the talks and informing him the conversation had been productive.

The U.S. president welcomed the face-to-face between Kim and his country's closest ally in tweets that struck an optimistic chord yet emphasized the United States' commitment to its maximum pressure campaign on North Korea.

'For years and through many administrations, everyone said that peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula was not even a small possibility,' Trump said. 'Now there is a good chance that Kim Jong Un will do what is right for his people and for humanity. Look forward to our meeting!

Beijing confirmed reports after the fact that the North Korean leader had visited China for talks with Xi in his first foreign visit since taking power in 2011

The announcement corroborated speculation on Tuesday that Kim was in the country when a train similar to the one the dictator's father used was spotted making a round-trip to Beijing.

Chinese state media said Xi held talks with Kim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing -- the same government building he entertained Trump in four months ago -- and hosted a banquet with wife Peng Liyuan for Kim and his spouse Ri Sol Ju.

'I have had successful talks with General Secretary Xi Jinping on developing relations between the two parties and the two countries, our respective domestic situation, maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and other issues,' Kim said at the banquet. 

Kim also committed to denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula if the United States and the South show 'goodwill,' state media said, with China agreeing to support its neighbor if nuclear tensions could be eased.  

Kim visited China from Sunday to Wednesday with his wife, Ri Sol Ju, a South Korean news agency said, with President Xi also accepting an invitation to visit North Korea. 

The trip comes several weeks after Trump accepted an invitation to meet Kim by May at an as of yet unspecified location.

Analysts say Kim would have felt a need to consult with his country's traditional ally ahead of his planned talks with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, whom he is scheduled to meet for the first time in April.

'If South Korea and the United States respond with good will to our efforts and create an atmosphere of peace and stability, and take phased, synchronized measures to achieve peace, the issue of the denuclearization of the peninsula can reach resolution,' Mr. Kim said, according to Xinhua's summary of his meeting with Mr. Xi. 

In a statement Tuesday night, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Chinese government made contact on Tuesday and briefed the Trump administration on Kim's visit to Beijing.

The briefing included a personal message from President Xi to President Trump, which has been conveyed to President Trump,' she said. 'The United States remains in close contact with our allies South Korea and Japan. 

Sanders added: 'We see this development as further evidence that our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea.'

At her daily news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Sanders indicated that the White House was caught flat-footed on the Kim visit. She said it was not made aware of it until Tuesday.

'The ambassador from China came to the White House yesterday and briefed members of the national security team who then briefed the president,' she said.

At her daily news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Sanders indicated that the White House was caught flat-footed on the Kim visit. She said it was not made aware of it until Tuesday.

'The ambassador from China came to the White House yesterday and briefed members of the national security team who then briefed the president,' she said.

President Trump said Wednesday morning that he would not let up on sanctions while the as of yet unscheduled talks are negotiated in a tweet that rehashed the state of play.

'Received message last night from XI JINPING of China that his meeting with KIM JONG UN went very well and that KIM looks forward to his meeting with me,' Trump said. 'In the meantime, and unfortunately, maximum sanctions and pressure must be maintained at all cost!'

State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said later in the morning on Fox & Friends that the U.S. looks 'forward to working with China' on the issue and that it hopes to 'get a more fulsome read out' of the Kim visit in the days ahead. 

During the trip, Kim told Xi that it was his 'solemn duty' to make Beijin