China halts N Korea imports in line with UN’s sanctions

CHINA will halt iron, iron ore and seafood imports from North Korea starting today, following through on new UN sanctions after US pressure for Beijing to strong-arm Pyongyang over its ally’s nuclear programme.

The decision was announced yesterday after days of increasingly bellicose rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un’s regime, which has raised international alarm about where the crisis is headed.

Beijing had pledged to enforce the latest sanctions fully after the United States accused China of not doing enough to rein in its neighbour, which relies heavily on the Asian giant for its economic survival.

The Chinese commerce ministry said on its website that all imports of coal, iron, iron ore and seafood would be completely prohibited from today. Beijing had already announced a suspension of coal imports in February.

The United Nations Security Council, including permanent member Beijing, approved tough sanctions against Pyongyang on August 6 that could cost the country $1-billion (R13.3-billion) a year. The sanctions were in response to the North’s two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month, after which Kim boasted that he could now strike any part of the United States.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi vowed after the UN sanctions were approved that his country “will for sure implement that new resolution 100%, fully and strictly”.

China, which is suspected of failing to enforce past UN measures, accounts for 90% of North Korea’s trade.

Trump complained last month that trade between the two nations had increased by nearly 40% in the first quarter.

Beijing has defended its economic ties with Pyongyang as normal commerce between neighbours and insisted that the trade did not violate UN sanctions.

The suspension of coal imports deprives North Korea of massive income as it totalled $1.2-billion (R16-billion) last year.

Regional tensions have soared in the past week as Trump warned North Korea it would face fire and fury if it attacked the United States, while the North threatened to test-fire its missiles over Japan and towards the US Pacific island of Guam.