China is to provide North Korea with 50 000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in mid-August as part of a nuclear disarmament deal Pyongyang reached with regional powers in February, Yonhap news agency said.

Last month, North Korea shut its reactor, the source of its bomb-grade plutonium, and allowed United Nations nuclear inspectors into the secretive nuclear complex in return for 50 000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil provided by South Korea.

China?s planned fuel oil consignment is part of the second stage of the disarmament deal reached between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

The two Koreas are scheduled to hold energy-aid talks this week. At a meeting of Southeast Asian nations last week, North Korea demanded that Washington remove it from a list of states that sponsor terrorism before further progress could be made on dismantling its nuclear arms program.