{"id":39901,"date":"2009-06-01T21:01:44","date_gmt":"2009-06-02T04:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=39901"},"modified":"2009-06-02T00:12:35","modified_gmt":"2009-06-02T07:12:35","slug":"china-suspends-north-korea-exchanges-yonhap-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2009\/06\/china-suspends-north-korea-exchanges-yonhap-reports\/","title":{"rendered":"China Suspends North Korea Exchanges, Yonhap Reports (Updated)"},"content":{"rendered":"
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s official news agency, China has “suspended government exchanges with North Korea.” Via Heejin Koo and Kyung Bok Cho of Bloomberg<\/strong><\/a>:<\/p>\n China suspended government exchanges with North Korea after Kim Jong-Il\u2019s regime last week tested a nuclear device and fired short-range missiles, Yonhap News said.<\/p>\n China has halted plans to send officials to North Korea and won\u2019t accept visits from there either, Yonhap said today, citing unidentified diplomatic sources in Beijing. China\u2019s foreign ministry didn\u2019t respond to a faxed request for comment. South Korean government spokesman Lim Jung Taek said he couldn\u2019t confirm or deny the report.<\/p>\n The move, if confirmed, would be the strongest reaction yet to North Korea\u2019s actions by its biggest ally and trading partner. China accounts for almost three-fourths of North Korea\u2019s foreign trade, and can cut off shipments to the impoverished country of food, fuel and luxury goods.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Elizabeth Bumiller reports for the New York Times<\/strong><\/a> on U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s Asia trip:<\/p>\n Mr. Gates met on Saturday with the highest-ranking Chinese official at the conference, Lt. Gen. Ma Xiaotian<\/a>, the deputy chief of the general staff of the People\u2019s Liberation Army. American defense officials said after the meeting that China, which has been reluctant to take tough action against North Korea, clearly viewed the nuclear test seriously.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n