China`s party delegation arrives in N. Korea for `goodwill visit`

SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- A Chinese party delegation led by a publicity official
arrived in North Korea on Monday for a "goodwill visit," state media of the two
countries said.
The delegation of the Communist Party of China was led by Luo Shugang, deputy
head of the party's publicity department, the official Korean Central News Agency
said.
The one-sentence dispatch did not elaborate on the purpose or length of the trip,
only saying it came at the invitation of the Workers' Party of Korea.
China's Xinhua news agency said the delegation was making a "goodwill visit," but
gave no further details.
The two countries are holding a variety of events to celebrate 60 years of
diplomatic relations this year, but watchers say their traditional alliance has
been displaying signs of fraying. China joined the world condemning North Korea's
nuclear test in May and signed a U.N. Security Council resolution to tighten a
trade embargo and other sanctions on North Korea.
Some watchers pointed out the watered-down attitude of North Korean media toward
China, as some recent dispatches left out the usual descriptions of the
relationship between the two countries, such as "blood-sealed." China fought for
the North against the U.S.-led U.N. Command in the Korean War and is still a
major donor to the impoverished country.
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