China turns up the heat

CHINA on Thursday ordered North Korean-owned businesses to close, cutting foreign revenue for the isolated North under UN sanctions imposed over its nuclear and missile programs.

China is North Korea’s main trading partner, making Beijing’s co-operation essential to the success of sanctions aimed at stopping the North’s pursuit of weapons technology.

North Korean businesses and ventures with Chinese partners must close within 120 days of the UN Security Council’s September 11 approval of the latest sanctions, according to the Ministry of Commerce.