Chinese Communist Party official Wang Jiarui said Friday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il appeared in good health during their meeting last month in Pyongyang, countering reports that Kim suffered a debilitating stroke last summer.
Wang, director of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, was in Tokyo to meet with members of the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc to discuss Japan-China relations.
Speaking at a news conference following the meeting, Wang, without prompting, brought up the subject of Kim's health, in an apparent attempt to brush aside media speculation that the reclusive state is on the verge of leadership change.