China and North Korea signed a new agreement on economic and technical cooperation on Thursday, AFP reported, citing state media. The accord was signed in Pyongyang by North Korea’s Foreign Trade Minister Ri Ryong-Nam and Chinese Ambassador Liu Hongcai. On the same day, a Chinese delegation met with President Kim Jong-Il. The Chinese visit was prompted by increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula as US and South Korean forces conducted joint exercises intended to warn North Korea against attacking South Korean vessels. Seoul has accused Pyongyang of sinking the Cheonan corvette in March with a torpedo. Reports say China is considering increasing economic aid to North Korea in return for a pledge to resume the six-party nuclear disarmament talks hosted by Beijing.
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