Seoul, June 22 (IANS) North Korea could be pushing back what would be its seventh nuclear test in consideration of China's political calendar and its own situation with Covid-19, a South Korean presidential official said Wednesday.North Korea has been reported for weeks to be "preparing for a nuclear test" at its testing ground in Punggye-ri, with the only remaining step being a "political decision" by leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap news agency reported."I think the China variable and the Covid-19 variable are playing into this," the official told reporters, citing the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in the fall."It appears that North Korea is making a considerable effort out of concern for the major chaos that would be caused by a seventh nuclear test, although we haven't been able to verify it," he said.China is North Korea's "only major political ally and economic benefactor", meaning that staging a large provocation ahead of a key political event could hurt Pyongyang's relations with Beijing.The other factor behind holding off could be the seriousness of the Covid-19 outbreak in the North, the official added.
--IANS int/shs
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