China has released a new list of items banned for export to North Korea, following a new round of UN sanctions and complaints from US President Donald Trump that Beijing was not doing enough to pressure its communist neighbour. While largely comprising specialty chemicals and rare alloys, the list also included computer software, machinery, high-speed cameras, aircraft engines and six-axle truck chassis. The ban on "dual-use measures related to weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery" takes effect immediately, the announcement said. However, the official Communist Party newspaper Global Times suggested the timing had to do with the upcoming week-long Lunar New Year holiday, a period during which North Korea in 2016 staged a missile test and in 2013 held its third underground nuclear test. China is the North's largest source of trade and aid, but has grown increasingly frustrated by Pyongyang's defiance of the UN's demands to end missiles tests and the development of nuclear weapons.

Source: dna January 26, 2017 08:45 UTC