China

China expands sanctions against North Korea

Beijing has imposed new trade sanctions against North Korea, according to the most recent UN Resolution in March. With the sanctions the international community reacted to North Korea’s nuclear and missile program.

The government of the people’s Republic of China announced a “joint decision of the Ministry of Commerce, customs authority, National atomic energy authority and the Ministry of information technologies”, several “Dual-use” products, which are suitable both for civilian as for military applications, are no longer allowed to be exported with immediate effect to North Korea. Affected 15 groups of trade goods, which can be used for the construction of rockets,including ring magnets, particularly strength aluminum alloys, Laser welding equipment, as well as various materials that are suitable for the construction of nuclear and chemical weapons. The ban is the “implementation of relevant resolutions of the United Nations”, – stated in the message on the government website.

In March, the UN adopted security Council Resolution 2270 and a renewed North Korean nuclear test in January and the launch of a space rocket responds in February. The international community suspected in the alleged satellite launch the covert Test of a military long-range missile. Already in April, China’s Export of coal, steel and other commodities had been banned to North Korea or restricted.

The research reactor in Yongbyon

Peace and stability in the Region

At the beginning of June, China’s President Xi Jinping had called on a visit of Ri Song Yong, a permanent Politburo member of the Communist party of North Korea “all sides for calm and restraint to maintain peace and stability in the Region.“ China’s relations with its traditional allies have been strained in recent years by the series of nuclear and missile tests, North Korea’s increasingly. On the other hand, Beijing is not interested in a collapse of the internationally-isolated regime in Pyongyang. It is North Korea’s main trading partner remains.

A week ago, the International atomic energy Agency (IAEA) had reported Indications that North Korea have driven the research reactor at Yongbyon for the purpose of Plutonium production for use in nuclear weapons, probably. American experts now believe Nordorea has more than 20 operational nuclear warheads.

hg/hs (dw, dpa, afp)