China’s move to ban all coal imports from North Korea, effectively slicing the country’s exports by about half, came with a message to the U. S. and its all
HONG KONG/SEOUL – China’s move to ban all coal imports from North Korea, effectively slicing the country’s exports by about half, came with a message to the U. S. and its allies: It’s time to do a deal.
Authorities in Beijing announced Saturday that China would halt all coal imports from Kim Jong Un’s regime from Sunday through the end of the year, in compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions over its nuclear program. China had previously bought coal under exemptions that allowed trade for “livelihood” purposes.
At the same time, Chinese officials attending a conference in Germany blasted U. S. moves to pressure North Korea with sanctions and military maneuvers, arguing that Kim’s regime won’t stop pushing for nuclear weapons unless it feels safe. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for restarting talks after meeting South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se, saying it’s time to “break the negative cycle on the nuclear issue on the peninsula.”
“At this moment, the situation on the Korean Peninsula is getting increasingly complex and grim, but we shall not give up the effort to make peace happen,” Wang said in a statement Sunday.
China is becoming increasingly frustrated with Kim, whose actions are spurring the U. S. to put the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system in South Korea — a move that also potentially threatens Beijing’s military capabilities. U. S. President Donald Trump has called on China to get tougher on North Korea, and this month promised to deal with the country “very strongly” after its latest ballistic missile test.
Last week’s assassination of Kim’s estranged half-brother, who was protected by Chinese authorities, added to calls in Beijing’s foreign policy establishment to take stronger action, according to Shi Yongming, an associate research fellow at the Foreign Ministry-run China Institute of International Studies.
“The case fully exposed the desperate irrationality of the Kim regime,” Shi said.
