If the 30-vehicle motorcade that stopped traffic on Beijing's main avenue was anything to go by, North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il arrived in Beijing yesterday for meetings with Chinese leaders.

The motorcade, which included two ambulances and a long line of limousines and sport utility vehicles with tinted glass, made its way to the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in western Beijing where police vehicles prevented the large group of waiting journalists from identifying the occupants of the cars.

Yet, since he was photographed in a northern Chinese city on Monday, it has been an open secret that Mr Kim has been making his way to Beijing, even if the Chinese government and media have been in the awkward position of being unable to confirm his presence.