Beijing (CNN) -- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has met in Beijing with Kim Jong Il, the reclusive leader of North Korea, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Thursday. Kim was widely reported to have been in China, but both countries declined to formally confirm the visit -- even after grainy photos surfaced on websites that appeared to show Kim in China, North Korea's closest ally. Kim was on his third China visit since last May, the news agency reported. It quoted him as saying that China and North Korea have made "extensive achievements in their trade cooperation in recent years" and that they "took a significant step forward in building a new cross-border bridge over the Yalu River."
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NEW: China usually confirms visits by North Korean leaders after they return home
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North Korean leader met with Chinese premier, Chinese state-run media reported
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It was Kim Jong Il's third trip to China since last May
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