China yesterday said it was committed to upholding UN sanctions on North Korea, despite data showing a jump in the volume of bilateral trade.
Sino-US relations have soured in recent weeks as US President Donald Trump urges Beijing to put diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea over its nuclear ambitions, with tensions rising after this month’s test of a missile that could reach the US mainland.
Despite US calls for action, trade between the Asian neighbors increased 10.5 percent in the first six months of the year, including a 29.1 percent jump in exports.
However, Chinese General Administration of Customs spokesman Huang Songping (黃頒平) said Beijing was upholding the UN sanctions against the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
“Simple accumulated data cannot be used as evidence to question China’s severe attitude in carrying out UN Security Council resolutions,” Huang told a news briefing.
He pointed to a 13.2 percent drop in imports from North Korea in the same period as an example of the pressure, adding that there have been sharp decreases every month since March.
“UN Security Council sanctions are not a total ban on shipments. Trade related to DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] people’s livelihood, especially those that reflect humanitarianism should not be influenced by the sanctions,” Huang said.
China in February announced the suspension of coal imports from the North, striking a blow at a major source of income for the hermit state.
Huang said coal imports dropped by three-quarters in the first half, and all those shipments had been made before Feb. 18.
Trump complained that trade had increased between the two, despite his calls to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to use the nation’s unique diplomatic and economic clout to rein in its neighbor’s nuclear ambitions.
“Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40 percent in the first quarter. So much for China working with us — but we had to give it a try,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday last week.
Previous Chinese customs data showed two-way trade with the North had risen 30.6 percent in US dollar terms in the first three months of the year.
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