Japan to impose additional sanctions on North Korea

Asked about the South Korean and Japanese unilateral sanctions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing Friday that China is opposed to such steps and that all sides should avoid taking more provocative actions.

He also raised the unresolved issue of North Korea’s abductions of Japanese nationals as one of the threats presented by the country. The Chinese company has no assets in South Korea, according to South Korean officials.

In its resolution after North Korea’s nuclear test in January, the Security Council hammered out trade restrictions on mineral resources produced in that nation.

Proponents of sanctions, or “boa constrictors” as I affectionately call them, were sounding less triumphant by September, when Kim Jong Un flouted the UNSC by carrying out a fifth nuclear test – the largest to date.

Coal comprises about 40 percent of North Korea’s exports, bringing in about $1 billion a year. Exports of copper, nickel, silver, zinc and the sale of statues will also be either slashed or banned under the sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on 16 organizations and seven individuals deemed to have supported the North Korean government and its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).

Washington added seven people and 16 entities to its blacklist, including Air Koryo, North Korea’s national airline. Seoul has expanded its blacklist by 36 individuals and 34 North Korean companies. In fact, after the sanctions took effect in April, China imported a record amount of coal from its nuclear neighbor.

Samantha Power, the United States ambassador to the UN, said the resolution would strip the regime of more than $700m in hard currency, dramatically reducing the money it can spend on nuclear and ballistic weapons.

The tougher United States approach reflects growing impatience with China and a view that it has not strictly enforced existing sanctions to help curb Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, which a USA policy of both sanctions and diplomacy has failed to dent.

US National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the importance of choking off financial flows to Pyongyang during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in NY on November 1.

Should incoming American President Trump succeed in compelling the return of American manufacturers to the USA and away from China, and with the United Kingdom getting out of the European Union (Brexit), there is a possibility of better economic progress for Asean 10.

North Korea’s “War Victory” festival Wed, July 24, 2013 North Korea has launched its annual Arirang “War Victory” festival, featuring tens of thousands of performers in a highly-choreographed display of patriotism.

“China has two goals, and sometimes they can’t be mutually satisfied”.

The military exercise – targeting five border islands, as well as “reactionary ruling organs” in Seoul and other cities – came as South Korea prepared to unveil unilateral sanctions against the North’s nuclear programme. Even today, Choi said, some may try to undo what South Korean President Park Geun-hye was able to achieve.

The new US-drafted United Nations resolution is meant to slash North Korea’s exports of coal, its biggest export item, by about 60 per cent with an annual sales cap of US$400.9 million (RM1.7 billion), or 7.5 million metric tonnes, whichever is lower.

Be Civil – It’s OK to have a difference in opinion but there’s no need to be a jerk.

Well guess what – if Kim and his generals have to tighten their belts, the nuclear and missile programs are about the last things they will cut. In September, South Korea’s defense minister revealed it has a plan to assassinate Kim if necessary.

The Obama administration has reportedly advised President-elect Donald Trump to make dealing with North Korea the number one foreign policy for his administration. It took time and pressure to sway China from its cautious stance on the matter.