China says trade with U.S. has no connection to North Korea
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Beijing's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Monday not only are issues pertaining to North Korea's nuclear weapons development irrelevant to U.S.-China trade, but linking the two concerns would create losses on both sides, Sina.com reported.
China is the United States' largest trading partner.
Hua also defended China's intellectual property rights record and said all World Trade Organization members should comply with WTO standards.
In early August, The New York Times reported Washington was planning to open a probe into Chinese trade practices that include alleged violations of U.S. intellectual property.
The United States is growing increasingly frustrated with provocations from North Korea, and with Chinese efforts on sanctions against Pyongyang. ■