It was supposed to be secret but everyone knew it could only be Kim Jong Il arriving when a vast armoured train pulled into Beijing’s crowded station to ecstatic cheers and flags waved by a welcoming party of loyal North Koreans. Dozens of armed police shut down the station until unmarked cars pulled out, taking the North Korean leader and his entourage to a series of meetings with China’s leaders. On a rare foreign trip, Kim told his hosts he would be patient, flexible and engaged in talks on his nuclear programmes – telling them what they hoped to hear at the end of an unannounced three-day visit.Full Story