China's president visits NKorea embassy

BEIJING: China's President Hu Jintao visited the North Korean embassy in Beijing on Tuesday to offer his condolences on the death of Kim Jong-Il, the official Xinhua news agency said.

China is North Korea's closest ally, and just hours after the announcement of Kim's death on Monday, Beijing said it would work with Pyongyang to ensure the "peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and the region".

Analysts say China is likely to strengthen support for its impoverished, nuclear-armed neighbour as it seeks to avoid a potentially destabilising power struggle in Pyongyang.

Little is known about Kim's successor, his third son Kim Jong-Un, but there are fears he has not had enough time to cement control over the country's government and military.

Jong-Un, who is in his late 20s, was given senior ruling party posts and made a four-star general in September 2010, despite his lack of any military experience.

Hu's visit came after China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with the North Korean charge d'affaires Pak Myong Ho in Beijing late Monday, according to an earlier Xinhua report.