The criticism came after China announced over the weekend it is suspending coal imports from North Korea, for at least the remainder of the year, in line with UN sanctions
North Korea’s official media appeared to carry rare criticism of neighbouring China on Thursday, slamming its imposition of sanctions as “mean behaviour” and suggesting it is only doing so to curry favour with the US. An article titled “Neighbouring Country’s Mean Behaviour” and carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the country in question has “unhesitatingly taken inhumane steps” against North Korea, despite having often claimed to be its “friendly neighbour”. Those steps, it said, include “totally blocking foreign trade related to the improvement of people’s living standards” under UN Security Council sanctions resolutions “devoid of legal ground”. The criticism came after China announced over the weekend it is suspending coal imports from North Korea, for at least the remainder of the year, to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2321. The resolution, adopted on November 30 following North Korea’s fifth nuclear test conducted last September, particularly targets the cash-strapped country’s coal exports, much of which typically go to China.
