BEIJING — The Chinese government confirmed Wednesday that North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Un went to Beijing and met with President Xi Jinping of China in his first known trip to a foreign country since he took power in 2011.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Kim made an unofficial visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday.

The news agency said that Xi held talks with Kim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and that Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, hosted a banquet for Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. They also watched an art performance together, the news agency said.

Analysts say Kim would have felt a need to consult with his country’s traditional ally ahead of his planned meetings with President Trump and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea.

The North’s diplomatic outreach came after an unusually provocative year when it conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date and three ICBMs tests designed to target the US mainland. The developments were interpreted as the North being desperate to break out of isolation and improve its economy after being squeezed by heavy sanctions.

China remains North Korea’s only major ally and chief provider of the aid, energy, and trade that keep the country’s broken economy afloat.

The visit to China marks Kim’s first known trip since he tool power in 2011. The meeting with Xi was his first meeting with a foreign head of state.

ASSOCIATED PRESS