China on Friday said it would offer food aid to North Korea
which has declared one of its worst droughts in a century .
Foreign Ministry spokesman , Lu Kang, was quoted as
saying in Beijing that the Chinese side was willing to
provide assistance at the request of North Korea .
“ We hope that the government and people of North Korea
overcome over the disaster at an early date, ” Lu said .
A report says the worst drought in a century is drying up
vast expanses of North Korea ’ s agricultural fields .
“ More than one- third its paddy fields were “ parching up , ”
leading to fears of food shortages , with authorities
attempting to grow substitute crops for the lost rice , ” the
report said .
Relations with China, historically one of communist North
Korea ’ s few international allies , have recently been strained
over Pyongyang’ s nuclear and missile programmes.
North Korea rarely speaks openly of its chronic food
shortages.
Relief supplies have in the past been the subject of
diplomatic negotiations .
A widespread famine in the 1990 s is believed to have
caused the death of hundreds of thousands of North
Koreans .
Brothers keeper
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