China on Tuesday banned imports of gold and rare earths from North Korea as well as exports to the country of jet fuel and other oil products used to make rocket fuel, a move in line with new United N
China on Tuesday banned imports of gold and rare earths from North Korea as well as exports to the country of jet fuel and other oil products used to make rocket fuel, a move in line with new United Nations sanctions on Pyongyang.
The Security Council unanimously passed a resolution in early March expanding UN sanctions aimed at starving North Korea of funds for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes after Pyongyang conducted a fourth nuclear test in January and launched a long-range rocket in February.
The mining sector is a key part of North Korea’s economy, which is already largely cut off from the rest of the world. Experts believe revenue from the sector helps underwrite North Korea’s military expenditures.
The Chinese commerce ministry said it would also ban coal shipments from North Korea, although it made exemptions consistent with sanctions, including uses intended for “the people’s well-being” and not connected to nuclear or missile programs.
The coal trade between the neighbours was worth $1 billion in 2015, Chinese customs figures show.
Export bans on jet and rocket fuel included exemptions for “basic humanitarian needs” in conjunction with inspections, and for civilian passenger jets flying outside of North Korea.
This move also put in place bans on the import of gold, titanium and rare earth metals from the North.
China is the North’s main provider of trade and aid and the UNSC resolution allowed for commerce in certain goods, including coal and iron, to carry on as long as the proceeds did not support Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
The UN did not set criteria for making that determination, leaving each country to make its own decision.
The exceptions were mirrored in the text of the statement by China’s commerce ministry, which also provided a letter for companies to sign “solemnly” pledging that their imports of the products were “not related to North Korea's nuclear programme or ballistic missile programme”.
Trade with China is crucial for the isolated and impoverished North, which has suffered regular food shortages and an outright famine in the mid-1990s.
In 2014, China accounted for more than 90 per cent of North Korea’s $7.61 billion in total trade.
