China has further isolated North Korea by closing the main road between the two countries just days after the state-owned Air China permanently suspended flights from Beijing to the Pyongyang.
The decision to suspend flights from China to North Korea was reportedly linked to a lack of demand.
An official from Air China’s Beijing-based press office told Reuters on Wednesday that “business was not good.”
Following Kim Jong-un’s latest nuclear tests and the growing fears of World War 3, Chinese tour operators in North Korea have reported a sharp decline in business.
Simon Cockerell, the general manager of Beijing-based Koryo Tours said he has seen a 50 per cent decline in business compared to this time last year.
China is currently North Korea’s most important ally, but the relationship has been put under increased pressure recently amid Kim Jong-un’s erratic behaviour.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the China-North Korea Friendship bridge is closed for “maintenance” and will be reopened after the necessary repairs are made.
Meanwhile, South Korea and China have agreed to disagree in a bid to get relations back on track following a year-long standoff after the US installed an anti-missile system in South Korea.
Beijing announced it would end the unofficial economic blockade against its South Korea - although officials said its position on the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system had not changed.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a joint statement: “The two sides attached great importance to the Korea-China relationship and decided to push for the further development of the strategic cooperative partnership.”
The installation of the THAAD system enraged Chinese officials, who believe the platform’s powerful radar compromises its own missile deterrent.
Authorities quickly responded by launching the year-long economic war against Seoul - forcing citizens to boycott South Korean companies.
Chinese tour groups were also stopped from visiting South Korea and the consumer ban on brands such as Hyundai led to the collapse in sales in the car manufacturer’s largest market.
But the two countries have agreed to relax the blockade in a bid for peace in the region.
This all comes amid Kim Jong-un latest embarrassment when a border guard fled first by jeep and then on foot into South Korea.
The defector, identified only by his surname Oh, sped in a jeep towards the South before losing control and crashing into a ditch. He sprinted the final few metres as North Korea guards opened fire.
Now those border guards are believed to be taking the full force of Kim Jong-un’s fury for the incident - with all believed to have lost their positions.