Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang told North Korea’s...

Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang told North Korea’s premier that China will participate in the 1988 Olympic Games at Seoul, South Korea, according to Eastern European sources. Because the Olympics are an international sports event, China, as a major sports power, is obligated to attend, Zhao reportedly said.

China is a close ally of North Korea and has no diplomatic relations with the South. It has supported North Korean proposals to stage some Olympic events in the North.

At Lausanne, Switzerland, Olympic chief Juan Antonio Samaranch said the Games would not be moved from Seoul despite concerns that North Korea may launch a campaign of violence to disrupt them.