After Kim Jong-il, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader, concluded his May 20-26 visit to China, the DPRK said in a statement that it would "never deal with" Republic of Korea (ROK) President Lee Myung-bak and his government, accusing Seoul of levelling false accusations against it and undermining its reconciliation efforts.

Many Western and the ROK media outlets are guessing what's behind the DPRK message, fueling further speculation on Kim's visit to China, which they describe as "mysterious".

China's stance on the Korean Peninsula issue has been clear and consistent. On Tuesday, China urged the DPRK and the ROK to continue their dialogue to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim's visit last week was aimed at peace. Most of his visits to China have been unofficial. During such visits, the Chinese as well as the DPRK media do not release any news until he leaves China. But contrary to what the Western media say, his visits are not "mysterious".

According to the DPRK's requirement, its leaders prefer to pay unofficial visits to China. This practice became more of a routine when Kim Il-sung was the DPRK leader - and has since continued. In fact, Kim Il-sung visited China more than 40 times, some of which were official and the others unofficial.

The DPRK leaders' unofficial visits are a unique way of communication between senior officials of the two countries. The two countries are neighbors and traditional friends, and such high-level visits are not only good for bilateral relations, but also conducive to maintaining stability in Northeast Asia.

But unlike previous occasions, Kim Jong-il's latest visit could be called "half open". When Kim Jong-il was still in China, many foreign media reports on his visit found space in some Chinese newspapers, indicating that China and the DPRK both have become more open about such visits. Such informal visits are more comfortable for both sides, for they help them skip complicated procedures and diplomatic ceremonies.

So "mysterious" is not the word to describe Kim Jong-il's recent visit. Both countries and their ruling parties have maintained a high-level communication mechanism, and the DPRK leader's three visits in just over a year reflects how important that mechanism is.

The Cheonan incident in March last year and the exchange of fire between the DPRK and the ROK over Yeonpyeong Island in November heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Besides, the DPRK is striving to develop its domestic economy and trying to integrate into the global economy.

These developments make it natural and necessary for Kim Jong-il to exchange views with a friendly country. Therefore, there is nothing "mysterious" about his visit.

The primary reason why the Western media called the visit "mysterious" is that they could not know for sure whether Kim Jong-il was in China. But there are other reasons, too. Every time the leaders of China and the DPRK meet, Western countries, especially the United States, and Japan and the ROK expect to make political capital out of the Korean Peninsula issue. They urge China to "compel" the DPRK to act according to their demands and feel uncomfortable about Beijing-Pyongyang ties.

But China's stance has been clear. It is committed to safeguarding peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. And it will always remain neutral.

The purpose of Kim Jong-il's recent visit was very clear. His team included many economic experts, who visited relatively developed regions in China to gain some experience from the country's economic development. Also, he exchanged views with Chinese leaders on regional issues, and discussed ways to strengthen economic, cultural and political cooperation.

Just as President Hu Jintao said, the Chinese government has always emphasized its long-term strategic relation with the DPRK and is committed to carrying forward the traditions, embracing the future, maintaining neighborly friendship and strengthening cooperation with the DPRK.

Apart from other things, Kim Jong-il also expressed his sincere desire to restart the Six-Party Talks.

His visit has already been made public. As a result, the Western media need not call it "mysterious". Moreover, the DPRK is ready to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, and we expect the US and the ROK to respond favorably to that gesture.

The US and the ROK should understand that they have to make more efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region. In other words, the US and the ROK should take concrete steps to ease the tension on the Peninsula instead of blaming the stalemate on China-DPRK ties.

The author is director of the Border Area Research Institute, affiliated to the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.