China says no political motive as North Korea flights suspended

BEIJING: China yesterday denied any political motive in the cancellation of flights by its flag carrier to North Korea, as pressure mounts on Beijing to help curb Pyongyang’s weapons programmes.

State broadcaster CCTV reported last Friday that Air China had suspended its BeijingPyongyang route, leading to speculation the move was intended to pressure the North.

But foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang distanced his government from the decision and said it was purely ‘market-based’.

“It’s natural for Air China or other airlines to make such decisions,” Lu told a regular press briefing.

“There shouldn’t be overinterpretation of this issue.”

Beijing is Pyongyang’s only major ally and biggest trade partner. It is being urged by the Trump administration to do more to rein in the North’s missile and nuclear weapons programmes.

In February China announced it was halting all imports of coal from North Korea — a crucial earner for Pyongyang — for the rest of the year.

A customer service representative for Air China, the only foreign carrier operating a regular commercial flight to North Korea, said yesterday it had cancelled the flights due to low demand.

“Air China has not suspended operations for the BeijingPyongyang route,” the employee told AFP, adding ‘ these flights were cancelled based on ticket sales.’

An operator reached through the airline’s customer service hotline said the booking system indicated that the earliest available BeijingPyongyang flight was for March next year.

Travel disruption also hit North Korea’s flag carrier Air Koryo, which saw its Beijingbound service delayed more than ten hours yesterday. Workers at Pyongyang airport told passengers the delay was weather-related, although conditions in the area and in Beijing appeared clear.

Major Chinese travel agencies also told AFP they have stopped offering tours to North Korea due to lack of interest. — AFP