By Kim Young-jin
Staff reporter
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, on his China trip that wrapped up Thursday, placed emphasis on economic cooperation, in addition to efforts to resume the six-party denuclearization talks.
Along his route to Beijing, Kim stopped Wednesday in the economically vibrant port city of Tianjin, home of a special economic zone. It was his second stop at such a location after touring Dalian Monday and Tuesday.
Experts here believe the stops, both at cities enjoying booming success after economic reform, point to the North's willingness to open up its Rajin-Sonbong Economic Zone, located near the town of Rason.
``He visited (the port cities) to give a sign of his willingness to develop the Rason port and seek investment from China and Russia,'' Zang Hyoung-soo, an economics expert at Seoul's Hanyang University, told The Korea Times.
It was speculated Kim discussed matters of economic cooperation with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during his trip, which experts say was a bid to win support for the North's economy, struggling after being hit with U.N. sanctions a year ago.
Though the North established the zone to promote economic development through foreign investment, efforts by China and Russia to convince Kim to open it fully have been thwarted by Kim's reluctance. But this time may have been different, Zang said.
``The U.N. sanctions have put Kim in a desperate position,'' he said. ``This time I think he will allow (the opening), making the concession in exchange for economic cooperation.''
The meeting between Kim and Wen was their first since 2006, when the latter visited Pyongyang.
Kim arrived in Beijing Wednesday and held a meeting with President Hu Jintao in the evening, during which he reportedly agreed to bring Pyongyang back to the six-party talks on its denuclearization.
His visit began Monday, when his 17-carriage train crossed into China in the early hours.