It sure looks like China is secretly selling oil to North Korea

Trump hints that the reports make war with North Korea more likely.

By Zeeshan Aleem@ZeeshanAleemzeeshan.aleem@vox.com  Dec 28, 2017, 1:10pm EST

According to Chosun Ilbo, satellite images released by the US Treasury Department illustrate China’s violation of UN rules prohibiting ship-to-ship transfers of goods to North Korea. US Treasury Department

China has apparently been secretly selling oil to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions and its own promises to drastically curb trade with the country.

A report from South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo on Tuesday said that US spy satellite images show that Chinese ships have transferred oil to North Korean ships in the West Sea around 30 times since October, citing unnamed government sources in the South Korean government. A report from the Financial Times on Wednesday confirmed the story with other diplomatic officials in the region.

In response to the news, President Trump on Thursday tweeted that China had been “caught RED HANDED” selling oil to Pyongyang. “There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!” Trump added.

Trump has put China at the center of his North Korea strategy. China is North Korea’s closest trading partner and ally, and as such has enormous leverage over the country’s small and impoverished economy. Trump has argued that China should do more to pressure North Korea to curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

While China has promised to do so and given the green light to harsh sanctions against Pyongyang at the UN in recent months, the latest reports are a reminder that Beijing routinely fails to deliver on its promises when it comes to getting tough with North Korea.

Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, said on Wednesday that she was not aware of the Chosun report but denied that Beijing has violated any UN rules.

Experts say that the reports are not conclusive, but are credible and should be taken seriously. Bonnie Glaser, the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told me that satellite images are “reliable” and that the Chosun Ilbo report is “likely accurate.”

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https://www.vox.com/world/2017/12/28/16825434/trump-north-korea-oil-china