China bans export of nuclear, missile parts to NK

/Courtesy of Twitter

By Lee Han-soo

The Chinese government has expanded sanctions against North Korea, banning the export of materials that can be used for nuclear weapons, missiles and other weapons of mass destruction.

China’s Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday 40 items are covered and the bans are effectively immediately. They are in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The new sanctions come after China banned coal and aviation fuel trading with North Korea on April 5. Sources said the bans had resulted in the hermit kingdom’s imports dropping 20 percent compared with 2015.

The latest sanctions are believed to have come from the U.S. and China pledging last week to stand together on bans against North Korea. They are also viewed as a response to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s fears over North Korea’s recent operation of its plutonium reprocessing facility.

Experts believe the newly imposed sanctions, which follow China’s arrest of a high-ranking North Korean agent in Dandong early this month, are a warning to North Korea.