Kim meets Hu in Beijing summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il met Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday in their first summit, report agencies. 

Their discussions focused on the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and Beijing's economic assistance to the North.

'The meeting took place over lunch at Zhongnanhai, the residence of China's top leaders in Beijing, said the South Korean news agency Yonhap quoting sources.This is their first summit since Hu assumed power in March last year.

The special train carrying Kim left North Korea on Sunday afternoon and arrived at Beijing Station amid tight security Monday morning. The delegation was immediately whisked off to Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where Kim is usually accommodated, said Yonhap. Kim avoids travel by plane.

The talks are expected to revolve around  Beijing's assistance to North Korea and the dispute over Pyongyang's nuclear development programs, it said.

Kim also plans to visit Zhongguancun technology park, China's leading high-tech development zone, in Beijing, and attend a welcoming dinner hosted by Hu on Monday, the South Korean news agency said. He might also tour the northeastern city of Shenyang or Dalian.

South Korea's state-run television, KBS, quoted unnamed Chinese officials as saying  Kim was accompanied by 40 senior officials.  Kim and the Chinese leaders are also likely to discuss a third round of six-nation talks to resolve the tension over North Korea's nuclear program scheduled for June. The second round in Beijing in February ended inconclusively. The six nations are North and South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.

Beijing and Moscow are known to be close to the North Korean regime. The Kim-Hu summit comes just days after US Vice President Dick Cheney's  visit to Beijing, where he warned that time was running out for North Korea and urged China to help defuse the crisis.