Earlier, China Central Television, the state broadcaster, had reported that starting Monday the flag carrier would no longer be flying between the Chinese and North Korean capitals. Relations have not recovered since Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, had his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, executed in December 2013. Although the Chinese may be increasingly upset at the North Koreans, they have not fundamentally lessened their support of the Kims. Because of Pyongyang’s value to China, Beijing has been reluctant to cut the North Koreans off. China’s indecisiveness is also evident from its on-again, off-again prohibition on the importation of North Korean coal, a pillar of the Kim family’s economy.

Source: Forbes April 17, 2017 01:07 UTC