KIM ISOLATED: Figures show China heeding Trump’s demands over North Korea sanctions
CHINA exported no oil products to North Korea in November, customs data showed, apparently going above and beyond sanctions imposed earlier this year by the United Nations.
By ROB VIRTUE
Express.co.uk
Tue, Dec 26, 2017
Tensions have flared anew over North Korea’s ongoing nuclear and missile programmes, pursued in defiance of years of UN resolutions.
Last week, the UN Security Council imposed new caps on trade with North Korea, including limiting oil product shipments to just 500,000 barrels a year.
Beijing also imported no iron ore, coal or lead from North Korea in November, the second full month of the latest trade sanctions imposed by UN.
China, the main source of North Korea’s fuel, did not export any gasoline, jet fuel, diesel or fuel oil to its isolated neighbour last month, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday.
November was the second straight month China exported no diesel or gasoline to North Korea. The last time China’s jet fuel shipments to Pyongyang were at zero was in February 2015.
Cai Jian, an expert on North Korea at Fudan University in Shanghai, said: “This is a natural outcome of the tightening of the various sanctions against North Korea.”
The tightening “reflects China’s stance”, he said.
The stats follow Donald Trump’s visit to Asia at the start of November which included talks with President Xi Jinping over the North Korea crisis.
Since June, state-run China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) has suspended sales of gasoline and diesel to North Korea, concerned that it would not get paid for its goods.
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