China trade with North Korea edged up in November: Report
An official report says that China scaled up business transactions with North Korea last month despite tough sanctions imposed by the United Nations against the country over its military program.
Data released by China’s General Administration of Customs on Saturday showed that Beijing’s trade with Pyongyang edged up to 388 million dollars in November, but remained around its lowest levels this year.
The total is up 15.9 percent from October’s $334.89 million but far lower than $613.2 million a year ago, according to the report.
China’s trade with North Korea, despite showing a monthly pickup, has witnessed a decline since a round of UN bans came into force early in September and banned Pyongyang from selling coal, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood abroad.
Data showed Beijing had purchased goods worth 100.18 million dollars from Pyongyang last month, up from 90.75 million dollars in October but lower compared to 262.2 million dollars in 2016.
North Korea has been under a raft of crippling UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear tests as well as multiple rocket and missile launches. Pyongyang has firmly defended its military program as a deterrent against the hostile policies of the US and its regional allies, including South Korea and Japan.
Beijing has backed the international bans on Pyongyang, but has emphasized such punitive measures should not affect North Korean people. It has also called for dialog on the North Korea issue.
North Korea has already demanded a halt to the “brutal sanctions” imposed by the UN Security Council, saying the previous bans imposed after Pyongyang’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 constitute “genocide.”
The trade report came a day after the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea for its November 29 intercontinental ballistic missile test that was claimed by Pyongyang to have placed the US mainland within the range of its nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang has firmly defended its military program as a deterrent against the hostile policies of the US and its regional allies, including Japan and South Korea.
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