BEIJING: China’s fuel imports from North Korea dropped massively in September from a year earlier and imports of iron ore and lead concentrate also declined following the UN’s latest sanctions against North Korea, Reuters reported, citing Chinese customs data released on Tuesday. China’s coal imports from North Korea fell 71.6 percent year-on-year to 511,619 tons in September, said the General Administration of Customs. The data showed the final shipments allowed through customs before the UN’s sanctions became effective on September 5. The UN Security Council sanctions forbid North Korea from exporting coal, iron ore, lead ore and seafood to overseas markets.
China has been comprehensively and strictly carrying out the UN sanctions against North Korea to fulfill China’s international obligations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at Tuesday’s press conference in Beijing. China announced on September 22 that it will ban energy supplies to North Korea and stop importing its textiles in accordance with the UN sanctions.
