Temporary ban on N. Korean coal

BEIJING: China’s Commerce Ministry said it will put a temporary ban on imports of North Korean coal as part of a UN Security Council resolution meant to deter Pyongyang from pursuing its nuclear weapons programme.

The 15-member Security Council late last month put new sanctions on North Korea aimed at cutting its annual export revenue by a quarter after it carried out its fifth and largest nuclear test so far in September.

“To implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2321, according to the People’s Republic of China’s Foreign Trade Law, imports of coal produced in North Korea temporarily will be stopped,” the ministry said in a short statement on its website.

China, believed to be the only country buying North Korean coal, would slash imports by some US$700mil (RM3bil) compared with 2015 sales under the new sanctions.

Despite its recent anger at Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests, Beijing remains North Korea’s most important economic and diplomatic backer and it frequently comes under suspicion for not properly enforcing sanctions.

China had imported 18.6 million tonnes of coal from North Korea so far this year. — Reuters