麻豆约拍

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un has made his first foreign trip since taking office in 2011. His visit to Beijing has been confirmed by Chinese and North Korean sources, who spoke of strengthening bilateral relations. But could there be other reasons behind the need for talks? We hear from Yun Sun, a fellow with the East Asia Program at the Stimson Center and a writer with the research group 38North, and ambassador Christopher Hill, who was the US top diplomat to the Six Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear programme. Also in this edition: we find out about the luxury African brands that are proving to be a hit in Europe, Jaguar and Google's Waymo announce plans to test their 'premium' self-driving car on public roads, and in the run up to Easter, we hear from Pakistan where Christians observe a different style of Lenten fasting. Plus, on World Theatre Day, Broadway producer Ken Davenport tells us why he thinks the good times at the box office are set to continue. We discuss all these stories and more with Andrew Peaple, Deputy Asia Finance Editor at The Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong, and Bridget Bodnar, producer of the Marketplace PM edition in Los Angeles.

(Picture: A man watches a television news report about a suspected visit to China by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, at a railway station in Seoul. Credit: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)