By Laurent ThometCHINA will halt iron, iron ore and seafood imports from North Korea starting Tuesday, following through on new UN sanctions after US pressure for Beijing to strongarm Pyongyang over its ally’s nuclear program. The Chinese commerce ministry said on its website that all imports of coal, iron, iron ore and seafood will be “completely prohibited” from Tuesday. He said North Korea had threatened Guam—a US territory which hosts two large military bases and is home to more than 6,000 military personnel—at least three times since 2013. The suspension of coal imports deprives North Korea of massive income as it totalled $1.2 billion last year. The United States angered China in June when it imposed unilateral sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.

Source: The Standard August 14, 2017 16:18 UTC