Kim Jong Un reportedly makes history with first-ever visit to China as head of state
The report comes after a mysterious train journey in which a high-security train left North Korea and arrived in Beijing to a locked-down station. The trip was followed by the emergence of a massive motorcade.
If Kim is in Beijing, it would mark the first time he's left North Korea since becoming supreme leader in 2011, and a historic departure from years of deteriorating relations with China.
Since Kim took power, his aggressive pursuit of North Korea's nuclear weapons program has strained relations with China to the point where Beijing has little influence in Pyongyang, but Kim has recently expressed willingness to talk to South Korea and the US.
Yun Sun, a North Korea and China expert at the Stimson Center told Business Insider that President Donald Trump's move to accept talks with Kim has elevated the North Korean leaders status, and likely made China more eager to talk to him.
Additionally, China has anxiety about being left out of talks between North Korea and the US, as the outcome could lead to a unified Korea or a US presence in North Korea, both of which run counter to China's strategic interests.
As leader of North Korea, Kim has never met with another head of state, and even purged his own uncle in a brutal execution, allegedly over his ties to China. If his trip to Beijing is confirmed, it's likely to end in a meeting between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Despite the recent history of rough relations, China remains North Korea's treaty ally and its main trading partner and point of contact with the outside world.
This is a developing story.