Chinese view of N. Korea will be affected after guards kill three of its citizens

Shanghai, June 9 (ANI): The favourable view of Chinese vis-à-vis North Korea is likely to undergo a major change, and, may even become jaundiced, after North Korean guards killed three Chinese civilians on Friday at the international border separating the two countries'.

"It's a big deal. This will affect Chinese people's views of North Korea," said Zhang Liangui, a professor at the International Strategy Institute at the Central Party School in Beijing."Publicizing this incident itself shows China is unhappy about it," Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said.

The shooting, which prompted an unusual public diplomatic protest by Beijing, comes amid intense pressure on China from the United States and the United Nations to join the international condemnation of North Korea in the sinking of a South Korean naval warship March 26.

China is North Korea's main ally and is loath to criticize its leader, Kim Jong Il.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the Chinese civilians had crossed into North Korea to engage in illicit trading, common along the 880-mile border. (ANI)