Beijing has been quick to deflect criticism after the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported on Tuesday that US reconnaissance satellites spotted Chinese ships selling oil to North Korean vessels.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying posed a series of questions for the newspaper, without calling it out by name.
“I am not fully aware of the situation you bring up,” Hua said in response to a question regarding the report. “I want to ask, is the media in question fully aware of the identity of the ship or ships? Whether or not these ships are on the UN Security Council sanctions list? If not, how can they be sure these ships were doing something in violation of a Security Council resolution? Is there definitive evidence?
Hua went on to question whether another country might be violating the sanctions, specifically pointing to the country where the “media in question” is based.
“Every Security Council resolution related to North Korea calls for using peaceful diplomatic and political means for resolving problems, emphasizing all relevant parties should implement measures to reduce tensions on the peninsula. Think dispassionately for a moment, are all the related parties really working hard to fully implement the related Security Council resolutions?! [Emphasis included in official foreign ministry transcript]”
The Chosun Ilbo reported that Chinese ships were spotted transferring oil to North Korean vessels in the West Sea around 30 times since last October. The satellite pictures reportedly show pictures of the names of the ships.
Ship-to-ship trade with North Korea on the high seas is forbidden in UNSC Resolution 2375 adopted in September, the report writes, but the violations are nearly impossible to detect without strict enforcement on the part of China.
The news comes after more than three weeks of negotiations on new sanctions between the US and China following North Korea’s last missile launch. During the talks, the US reportedly threatened to impose sanctions on Sinopec and major Chinese banks if they did not ratchet up pressure, according to a report from The Hankyoreh.
“The US indicated that it was willing to push forward with independent sanctions against China, and China warned that it would be forced to retaliate against independent sanctions,” one diplomatic source in Washington who spoke on the condition of anonymity was quoted as saying.
The US backed down from the demand that China shut off crude oil supply to the North as well as the threats of imposing independent sanctions in exchange for China’s cooperation on the new round of sanctions, multiple sources said.
you cannot trust china.
how will they do that? they make everything. If they did that US will be screwed.
Yes you can’t trust the PLA They are backstaber.
PLA has been known to back stab KMT after WW2. After KMT fought the Japanese and won.
China knows that it will only be the US who would raise complaints about sanctions violations. For those who have some experience on naval operations, the refueling is very evident.
Only South Korea & the guard dogs take the sanction so seriously !
And you sure as f×÷% cant trust the crooked United States that gave Israel nuke technology. While telling the world that israel dont have any.
ديكستار تونا كاو , can you name when KMT fought the Japanese & won?
Let the South Korean media that published the photos show evidence, the names of the ships to answer China’s questions.
A Hong Kong ship owned by a Taiwanese company haa just been detained by South Korea for transfering oil to North Korea. Read the news online.
To be fair this could be black market activity????. Like the black market for drug, if the profit incentive is high enough, then some people will do it.
It is because china is all nothing but. Liers
It’s a Hong Kong registered ship chartered by a Taiwan company, which took Japanese refined oil from a South Korean port, and they blame this on China?!!
Just because the ship has Chinese name on it?!
Well, let’s check who the heck made the turbine engine of this ship, maybe they can be implicated.
Just nuke nokor
Iamwhoiam Lewis one thing you should understand is that most of those inventions were designed and manufactured by Isreal scientists even in USA.MOst Americans are either Jews or IsrealS.
Iamwhoiam Lewis .Isreal is in the midst of the enemies. Of course she needs that power to scare her enemies and put them where they belong.
Iamwhoiam Lewis , read the book "The Samson Option", France provided nuke tech to Israel.
anytime soon world will runout money.no more trade between country. chinese will open trade with alien.
I do believed NOKOR is the attack dog of China…
I don’t see any valid reason to blockade North Korea.The most dangerous country and with expansion in mind is USA.They have military bases all over the world..So. USA is the one who should be boycotted and blockade
An Lim Learn history boy
Surely China cannot be trusted…
Iamwhoiam Lewis the French gave Israel nuke technology, it’s well documented. The US gave the UK nuke technology.
Overconfidence
ديكستار تونا كاو if l am not mistaken PLA n KMT put their differences aside temporarily and fought Jap together and defeated it.Then the started fighting each other again and KMT had to run to Taiwan