The U. S. president seems increasingly frustrated with his North Korea plan.
HONG KONG — Did a Chinese ship deliver oil to North Korea in defiance of the U. N. Security Council? President Trump and South Korea seem to think so. China does not.
Hours after Trump accused China on Thursday of being caught “red handed” selling oil to the North Koreans — in apparent violation of U. N. sanctions — South Korea released information that appeared to support his claim.
South Korean authorities said Friday that on Nov. 24 they seized and inspected a Hong Kong-flagged vessel that on Oct. 19 transferred 600 tons of refined petroleum to a North Korean vessel.
But at a daily press briefing in Beijing, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry flatly dismissed the claim, saying media accounts “did not accord with the facts.”
“China has always implemented U. N. Security Council resolutions pertaining to North Korea in their entirety and fulfills its international obligations,” said the spokeswoman, Hua Chunying.
“We never allow Chinese companies and citizens to violate the resolutions,” she said.
The standoff underscores Trump’s frustration at his attempts to press China to tighten economic pressures on North Korea as part of global efforts to curb the North’s nuclear and missile programs.
China is the economic lifeline for the regime of Kim Jong Un, and Beijing is under close international security for gaps in the sanctions.
