Trump lashes China over oil

US President Donald Trump has publicly accused China of supplying oil to the North Korean regime, claiming it has been “caught red-handed”.

According to a report from Fox News, drawing on information from the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, US spy satellites have recently captured photos of Chinese ships illegally selling oil to North Korean boats. This has happened 30 times since October.

Satellite images released by the US Department of Treasury appear to show ships from the two countries trading oil in the West Sea.

Such activity would be illegal, as the UN Security Council has banned North Korea from importing natural gas and the country’s crude oil imports have been capped.

Minutes after the Fox News report, Mr Trump posted a tweet dressing down China and saying the possibility of a “friendly solution” to North Korea’s nuclear aims had diminished.

“Caught RED HANDED — very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen,” he said.

Mr Trump has recently praised China for helping in efforts to keep Kim Jong-un under control.

The US is convinced that only pressure from China will convince the dictator to back down.

Earlier, China denied the report, saying there had been no oil sales violating UN sanctions.

The Trump administration has led a drive to step up global sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s efforts to develop nuclear-tipped missiles capable of hitting the United States.

Washington says the full co-operation of China, North Korea’s neighbour and main trading partner, is vital to the success of this effort.