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Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping at the Chinese President's State Visit to North Korea in June 2019. KCNA VIA KNS / AFP

North Korea has agreed to send 800,000 tons of rice donated by China, says the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun . Humanitarian assistance comes as 40 per cent of North Korea's population faces severe food shortages, according to the UN World Food Program. But this hand extended by the Chinese "big brother" to his North Korean ally is not devoid of political intentions.

With our correspondent in Seoul, Frédéric Ojardias

It was during his state visit to Pyongyang last June that the Chinese president promised the North Korean leader this food assistance, says the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun . It is nearly a million tons of food, including 800,000 tons of rice, that Beijing is preparing to send by boat.

This is a huge amount. This represents 20% of the total annual agricultural production of North Korea, estimated at 4.9 million tonnes by the World Food Program.

Beijing wants to send tourists to Pyongyang

According to the newspaper, Beijing would also seek to send millions of tourists to his North Korean ally. Tourism brings in a lot of foreign currency and is not hit by UN sanctions. Food imports are also free of penalties.

China continues to exert a major economic influence in North Korea. It is needed more than ever as an indispensable partner for the survival of the North Korean regime. While South Korea sees itself, she sidelined despite all her efforts. Pyongyang has refused the 50,000 tons of rice that Seoul has been offering for months.