Japan: Chinese ship breaking N. Korea sanctions

TOKYO: Japan said it had detected what appeared to be a Chineseflagged vessel, 350km off Shanghai, conducting illegal transfers to a North Korean ship.

“Following a comprehensive assessment, the government of Japan strongly suspects that they conducted ship-to-ship transfers banned by UNSCR,” Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a news release, referring to UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR).

A Japanese P-3 maritime patrol plane detected the vessels, which lay alongside each other connected by hoses, on May 19, with one of the ships flying what seemed like a Chinese flag, it said.

China’s Foreign Ministry said the information provided was “unclear” and it was hard to reach any definitive conclusions.

The government of Japan strongly suspects that they conducted shipto-ship transfers banned by UNSCR. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs

China has always fully enforced UN resolutions and if there is concrete proof of the resolutions being breached then China will handle it in accordance with the law, the ministry said in a statement.

Japan’s decision to voice its suspicion comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump prepared for what may be a breakthrough summit as early as next month.

Japan is urging the United States and other countries to stick to a strict imposition of UN sanctions on North Korea until it abandons the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

In April, the UN Security Council blacklisted dozens of ships and shipping companies over oil and coal smuggling by North Korea, including five based in China. — Reuters