China's state-run CCTV aired footage of Kim's summit with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in a very rare public announcement of Kim's trip.

Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan greeted Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju at the Great Hall of the People, and Kim inspected a Chinese honor guard.

The move marked a clear departure from China's previous stance of keeping silent on Kim's visit until he returned home.

Kim's trip had long been shrouded in secrecy apparently for security reasons. North Korea's state media did not report on Kim's latest trip to China.

The summit -- the third in three months -- came a week after Kim met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore and affirmed his commitment to complete denuclearization in return for security guarantees and a new relationship with the United States.

Kim traveled to China in March and met with Xi in his first foreign trip since he took over the country in late 2011. The two also met in May ahead of Kim's summit with Trump.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Kim's two-day visit that began Tuesday is intended to strengthen "strategic communication" between the two countries.

Analysts agree that Kim's visit to China is apparently intended to brief Xi on the outcome of his summit with Trump but added that he could enlist support from China ahead of talks on how fast it will have to give up its nuclear weapons program.

For China, it could be intended to strengthen its voice in the fast-paced nuclear diplomacy mostly being led by the U.S. and South Korea, they said.

"It appears that Kim intends to express his gratitude to China for providing support during his summit with Trump, such as offering a plane, while explaining the major agenda items discussed during the summit and pushing to take the initiative through consultations on the future situation," Shin Beom-chul, a senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said.

Yoo Hyun-jung, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Strategy, said that Kim's third visit to Beijing must be meant to enlist support from China, especially in relaxing sanctions imposed on Pyongyang now that tensions are easing.

The U.S. has said that there will be no sanctions relief until Pyongyang's denuclearization. The North has claimed that Trump expressed his intention during the summit to lift sanctions "along with advances in improving the mutual relationship through dialogue and negotiation." (Yonhap)