Did China just break its promise not to buy North Korean coal?
http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/27/news/economy/china-north-korea-coal-imports/index.htmlBeijing said in February that it would halt all coal shipments from North Korea through the end of this year. Official Chinese customs data shows the country stuck to that pledge until August, when it imported 1.64 million tons of coal, worth about $138 million, from its smaller neighbor.
News of the coal purchases comes as President Trump is stepping up efforts to try to stifle trade between North Korea and other countries in order to pressure Kim to back down on his country's rapidly advancing nuclear weapons program.
Coal was one of North Korea's top exports to China, its main trading partner. The U.N. Security Council in November put a limit on North Korean exports of coal -- and then banned them altogether in August.
U.S. experts said Beijing's coal imports in August highlight its unwillingness to stick to promises to cut trade with Pyongyang.
"Even when China isn't officially violating U.N. Security Council resolutions, it violates the spirit of them over and over again," said Kent Boydston, a research analyst at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "It makes me question not just why coal imports appear to be happening again but what was the real volume of imports in the months it reported there were none."
Anthony Ruggiero, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the development "shows that China is not a reliable partner."
"Sanctions against Chinese firms and banks likely will clarify the consequences of Beijing violating U.N. and U.S. sanctions,"...
