Hitting them in the wallet, which is the only way they will notice
posted at 3:31 pm on February 19, 2017 by Jazz Shaw
After the assassination of Kim Jong-nam by the “LOL girl” and her partner, Ed Morrissey asked whether or not such a blatant and provocative move might finally wake up China. It didn’t take terribly long for us to find out the answer. Traditionally, the Chinese have paid little more than lip service to sanctions and other disciplinary measures taken by the international community against the reclusive dictatorship in North Korea. But this episode of murder in broad daylight playing out for all to see in the international media seems to have been a bridge too far at long last for China. In a rare and potentially crippling move, effective today the Chinese are suspending all imports of coal from Kim Jong-un ‘s empire. (Washington Post)
China will suspend all imports of coal from North Korea until the end of the year, the Commerce Ministry announced Saturday, in a surprise move that would cut off a major financial lifeline for Pyongyang and significantly enhance the effectiveness of U. N. sanctions. Coal is North Korea’s largest export item, and also China’s greatest point of leverage over the regime. The ministry said the ban would come into force Sunday and be effective until Dec. 31. China said the move was designed to implement November’s United Nations Security Council resolution that tightened sanctions against the regime in the wake of its last nuclear test.
