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China Restricts Exports To North Korea

Joseph Krassenstein |
September 30, 2013 | 4:21 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

The China-North Korea Friendship Bridge //Creative Commons, photo by Bert van Dijk
The China-North Korea Friendship Bridge //Creative Commons, photo by Bert van Dijk
With growing concern about North Korea’s nuclear hopes, China has released a 236-page list of goods that are now illegal to export to North Korea.

The ban was imposed following the recent discovery of evidence that North Korea is accelerating their two nuclear programs and the release of new satellite images suggesting that North Korea tested a long-rage engine last month.

The banned items include a number of “dual-use” technologies that could either be employed by civilian or used for military hardware.

Some of the banned items include Ebola, a virus that can be either used for research or biological weapons, radium, flash X-ray generators, and microwave antennas to accelerate ions. 

By preventing these items from being traded to North Korea, China is taking serious steps to limit the country’s nuclear development.

China has been North Korea’s strongest ally for most than half a century; yet this announcement illustrates that China is even more loyal to the United Nations, following through on some UN Security Council sanctions that it approved months ago.

The Chinese ban “will help, since North Korea procures so much from China,” said David Albright, a US specialist in the nuclear arms topic.

This move follows China's unsuccessful attempt to revive talks with North Korea about relinquishing some of its nuclear capabilities. China appears frustrated with North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong Un, who has appears to have ignored China’s pleas for moderation.

Hong Lei, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the publication of the list underscores China’s “strict attitude” in enforcing sanctions.

“However, we would like to point out that in the U.N. Security Council’s decision on North Korea, punishment is not the goal,” Hong said in a news briefing.  “It is to encourage denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.”

According to the Obama administration, there are no signs that North Korea plans on seriously reducing their nuclear program and if anything, it appears to be increasing it.

Although it may appear that this ban would deteriorate relations between China and North Korea, the two countries remain close political allies. 

Contact Staff Reporter Joseph Krassenstein here



 

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