North Korea ? China’s premier was given a gala welcome to Pyongyang on Sunday by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, bolstering indications that the North is preparing to rejoin talks over its nuclear weapons programs.

Kim greeted Wen Jiabao personally at the city’s airport, embracing him on a red carpet and standing beside him as a military band played their country’s respective national anthems. Wen was then driven into the tightly controlled capital in an open-topped car as residents lining the streets danced, waved bunches of flowers and shouted greetings in unison.

The lavish welcome was a rare honor for a non-head of state, underscoring the importance the North places on its communist neighbors and offering a strong indication that it is planning to re-engage its negotiating partners after boycotting talks while threatening nuclear war and conducting nuclear and missile tests.

Although Wen’s three-day visit is officially being held to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations, analysts say they doubt he would have agreed to the trip without assurances of new talks.

Kim has reportedly expressed a willingness to engage in “bilateral and multilateral talks,” although it’s unclear if that indicates a willingness to rejoin stalled six-nation disarmament talks that also involve the U.S., Japan, South Korea and Russia.