Hong Kong/Seoul: China’s move to ban all coal imports from North Korea, effectively slicing the country’s exports by about half, came with a message to the US and its allies: It’s time to do a deal. US President Donald Trump has called on China to get tougher on North Korea, and this month promised to deal with the country “very strongly” after its latest ballistic missile test. With the international community enforcing sanctions on North Korea after a series of nuclear tests, China now accounts for more than 90% of its total trade. North Korea has accelerated its development of nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles since 2009, when it walked away from six-party talks involving the US, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan. In its first month, Trump’s administration said it would deploy the missile defence system this year in South Korea and back Japan “100%” in moves to deter North Korea.

Source: Mint February 19, 2017 09:43 UTC