China suspends imports of North Korean coal after missile test
8 replies, posted
[IMG]http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/E30A/production/_94722185_gettyimages-158410625.jpg[/IMG]
[QUOTE]China is suspending all imports of coal from North Korea as part of efforts to increase pressure on the country over its latest missile test.
China's commerce ministry said the ban would operate until the end of 2017.
It follows reports last week that China had rejected a shipment of North Korean coal worth $1m (£806,000; €942,100).
The ban brings China, North Korea's only ally, closer to fully implementing tough sanctions aimed at stopping Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.
Coal is North Korea's biggest export, with its shipments to China a mainstay of the country's fragile economy. The latest development comes just days after the suspicious killing of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother, Kim Jong-nam, at an airport in Malaysia.
Kim, who was largely estranged from his family, had spent much of his time overseas in the Chinese territory of Macau, where he was seen to have had the protection of China.[/QUOTE]
[URL="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-39015529"]BBC[/URL]
One of the most serious actions we've seen China take on NK in a while. It will be interesting to see if this has a real impact.
[QUOTE]For North Korea, this targets the trade it relies on most heavily for cash. Almost all its coal exports go next door to China.[/QUOTE]
And the rest goes to...?
[QUOTE=A B.A. Survivor;51841587]And the rest goes to...?[/QUOTE]
If I had to take a wild guess I'd say Russia.
Yeah,cause Russia is one of their very few "allies" and they're right next door.
The recent assassination of Kim Jong Nam might also have something to do with it
[QUOTE]But behind the scenes, there is a sense of shock and dismay in Beijing, officials and experts say: If indeed Kim Jong Nam was assassinated on the orders of the North Korean leader, it would be seen as an affront to the country that has afforded him protection for many years.
“China’s inner circle of government is highly nervous about this,” said Wang Weimin, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University in Shanghai.
“Kim Jong Nam’s assassination makes China more aware of how unpredictable and cruel the current North Korean regime is, as well as Kim Jong Un’s willingness to abandon China and sell it for his own benefit at any second,” Wang said.
Kim Jong Nam had lived for over a decade in Beijing and Macau, apparently with wives and children in both places, and had a reputation as something of a playboy who liked to visit casinos. Chinese experts said he had received 24-hour protection — and monitoring — from China’s security services, as well as financial assistance when he needed it.
Yet despite his status as the eldest son of former leader Kim Jong Il, he had shown no obvious political ambitions. Wang said that Chinese authorities realized long ago that he lacked leadership potential, and that they did not pin huge hopes on him. Nevertheless, he was a guest of their country, and one who would probably have provided valuable intelligence in the past.
The assassination has come at an uncomfortable time for Beijing, just days after North Korea conducted a missile test and when the new Trump administration has been asking China to do more to rein in its troublesome neighbor and ally.[/QUOTE]
[url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/in-china-a-sense-of-betrayal-after-the-assassination-of-kim-jong-nam/2017/02/17/434d7626-f4f0-11e6-8873-a962f11835fb_story.html?utm_term=.4e3598d410b5[/url]
China has never really liked NK and has been slowly whittling them down over the years. NK poses a significant problem for China, as an unstable ally that they can't get rid of without facing the larger consequences of both NK remaining a nearby enemy with nuclear capabilities, or falling, releasing a flood of refugees into China. The propaganda that the people are fed in that country about how great China is right next to NK isn't just praise, it's also a weapon should the country ever fall.
[QUOTE=OvB;51841607]If I had to take a wild guess I'd say Russia.[/QUOTE]
[url=http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2016/04/22/dprk-russia-trade-falls-in-q1-2015/]Found an interesting article on this over on North Korean Economy Watch.[/url]
[quote][t]http://www.nkeconwatch.com/nk-uploads/DPRK-Russia-trade-2015.jpg[/t]
North Korea primarily exports to Russia the following products:
▪ Fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic invertebrates nes (29%)
▪ Articles of apparel, accessories, not knit or crochet (27%)
▪ Musical instruments, parts and accessories (17%)
▪ Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling stock, equipment (6%)
▪ Manmade filaments (5%)
▪ Electrical, electronic equipment (4%)
▪ Plastics and articles thereof (3%)
▪ Wadding, felt, nonwovens, yarns, twine, cordage, etc (2%)
▪ Rubber and articles thereof (2%)
▪ Machinery, nuclear reactors, boilers, etc (1%)
▪ Cereal, flour, starch, milk preparations and products (1%)
▪ Tanning, dyeing extracts, tannins, derivs,pigments etc (1%)
▪ Milling products, malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten (1%)[/quote]
[QUOTE=Govna;51841771][URL="http://www.nkeconwatch.com/2016/04/22/dprk-russia-trade-falls-in-q1-2015/"]Found an interesting article on this over on North Korean Economy Watch.[/URL][/QUOTE]
I think that's the list of russian [I]exports [/I]to North Korea. The article itself mentions boilers and reactors as export products, not to mention I just can't believe we would import something like nuclear reactors from there(as if we would ever need to).
