February 20, 2017

The Chinese Commerce Ministry and General Administration of Customs announced Saturday that China would suspend all imports of coal from North Korea starting February 19 until the end of 2017 to implement UN Resolution 2321. Last month, China released a new list of items banned for export to North Korea and the decree is unprecedented. 

About 40 percent of North Korea's foreign currency is said to be earned from coal exports to China. Therefore, China's latest decision is considered very powerful. Coming after the death of Kim Jong-nam, some Western analysts hold it is 'a response to the assassination incident.' Scholars interviewed by the Global Times all agreed that the speculation is ludicrous. For one thing, there is still no conclusion about who is responsible for Kim's death. For another, Kim Jong-nam as a "political card" of Beijing doesn't conform to the logic of contemporary Chinese diplomacy. 

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http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1033819.shtml

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