![North Korean Olympics message may signal halt to missile tests: analysts](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/ef/6a/d1/North-Korean-Olympics-message-may-s-479993.jpg)
-
'Windmill love' sees Dutch artist become mill operator
-
US defends law forcing sale of TikTok app
-
Messi out for defending champ Miami as Leagues Cup begins
-
Australia bans uranium mining at Indigenous site
-
Divers attempt to reach sunken Philippine oil tanker
-
Trump accuses Harris of anti-Semitism in overblown speech
-
Coughlin clings to lead at LPGA Canadian Women's Open
-
Trump offers tech sector policy flips ahead of election
-
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
-
What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
-
Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
-
Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
-
'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
-
'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
-
Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
-
Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
-
Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
-
The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
-
Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
-
Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
-
Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
-
Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
-
New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
-
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
-
Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
-
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
-
Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
-
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
-
Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
-
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
-
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
-
Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
-
Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
-
S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
-
Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
-
G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
-
European medicines watchdog rejects new Alzheimer's drug
-
Habib, Ebden eye Alcaraz and Djokovic shocks at Olympics tennis
-
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
-
Two Sinaloa Cartel leaders face US charges after stunning capture
-
Spain train driver jailed for 2.5 years over deadly 2013 crash
-
Paris poised for Olympic opening ceremony spectacular
-
Judoka fails doping test in first case at Paris Olympics
-
Holder and Da Silva keep England at bay after West Indies collapse
-
Alpine F1 boss Bruno Famin to leave in August
-
Ethiopia declares three days of mourning after landslide tragedy
-
Brazilian dunes dotted with dazzling pools make UNESCO heritage list
-
Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park
-
French Rugby's Jaminet suspended 34 weeks after racist video: Federation
![North Korean Olympics message may signal halt to missile tests: analysts](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/ef/6a/d1/North-Korean-Olympics-message-may-s-479993.jpg)
North Korean Olympics message may signal halt to missile tests: analysts
North Korea sent "warm congratulations" Friday to ally China ahead of the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, a message analysts said likely signals it will stop test-firing missiles during the event.
Pyongyang conducted an unprecedented seven weapons tests in January, including launching its most powerful missile since 2017 as it hinted it could restart long-range and nuclear testing.
The sabre-rattling raised tensions on the Korean peninsula and forced Beijing -- Pyongyang's main diplomatic ally and economic benefactor -- to block a US push for new UN sanctions over the barrage.
North Korea is barred from competing at the Beijing Games, which have been clouded by human rights and coronavirus concerns and subject to a diplomatic boycott by Washington and its allies.
On Friday, state media in North Korea reported leader Kim Jong Un "warmly congratulated" China's President Xi Jinping on successfully opening the Beijing Winter Olympics "despite the worldwide health crisis and unprecedented severe circumstances".
"The Olympic torch flaring up in Beijing clearly proves that no difficulty and challenge can ever prevent the Chinese people from vigorously advancing," Kim’s message said, according to state-run KCNA.
North Korea's string of sanctions-busting weapons tests in January would have made Beijing "very uncomfortable", Cheong Seong-chang of the Center for North Korea Studies at Sejong Institute told AFP.
"But as Kim Jong Un sent a congratulatory message to Xi Jinping today, China can now expect that Pyongyang will refrain from weapons tests during the Olympics," he said.
It is "highly unlikely" Pyongyang would "annoy" Beijing by test-firing a missile during the Olympics, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
"China clearly doesn't want any military tension during the Games. Also, the UN has urged all countries to observe a truce during the Olympics -- which adds another layer of pressure," he said.
- IOC suspension -
North Korea stayed away from last year's pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, refusing to send its athletes over Covid-19 concerns.
The International Olympic Committee punished the no-show by suspending it from competing in the Beijing Winter Games.
Despite being barred, North Korea has depicted its absence as the result of the pandemic and "hostile forces".
The IOC said in September 2021, when announcing the punishment, that Pyongyang had rejected all coronavirus safety proposals -- including the provision of vaccines -- ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
North Korea imposed a rigid Covid-19 blockade -- among the strictest in the world -- in the early days of the pandemic and has barely eased it since.
The country's absence from Beijing marks a huge shift from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, where it had the attention of the world.
Leader Kim Jong Un's sister attended the Pyeongchang Games as his envoy in a blaze of publicity, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in seized the opportunity to broker talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
But negotiations between Kim and then US president Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 and have languished ever since, as Pyongyang doubles down on efforts to modernise its military.
A.Magalhes--PC