Why Beijing is so Reluctant to Cut off Trade with North Korea

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It's revealing that even in the wake of Kim's nuclear detonation, most Chinese in places like Dandong regard their neighbor with pity more than fear. On the highway leading out of the city, a farmer sits astride a brand-new bright blue motorbike and waits as a fruit seller packs up three large bundles of apples and pears. "I'll take this down to the river tonight, and the North Koreans will be there to trade as usual," he says. He says he swaps the fruit for sheets of copper, most probably stolen, usually one piece of fruit at a time because his buyers can't afford more. "These are the people who are allowed to live near the border. They have to pass loyalty tests," he says, shaking his head. "And still they are smuggling and crossing into China. Imagine what the rest of the country is like."