President Donald Trump tweeted Thursday from West Palm Beach, FL that China was “caught RED HANDED” allowing oil shipments to reach North Korean ports which is a direct violation of U.N. sanctions on North Korean imports of oil.
The tweet read, “Caught RED HANDED – very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!”
China voted for the very U.N. sanctions it appears to be violating and has continuously said they are enforcing the sanctions. If the satellite images are correct, it could prove a blow to China’s global reputation it’s trying to build as a responsible member of the international community and could display their duplicitous nature.
Caught RED HANDED – very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2017
U.S. spy satellites captured images of Chinese ships illegally selling oil to North Korean ships on roughly 30 occasions.
The satellite images purportedly show China trading oil with North Korean vessels in the West Sea close to China, South Korean sources told The Chosun Ilbo.
U.S. satellites have produced images of what reportedly are Chinese ships selling oil to North Korean illegally. (U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control)
Last week the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions to limit North Korea access to oil. The sanctions were in response to North Korea’s recent long-range missile test.
In November North Korea tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The ICBM many U.S. experts have warned, would be capable of striking anywhere in the United States.
The sanctions seek to bar 90-percent of refined oil exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and limit crude oil exports at 4 million barrels annually.
U.S., South Korea and Japan believe that loopholes in China’s “enforcement” continue to exist despite China repeatedly saying it is enforcing all resolutions against North Korea.
According to the satellite images, the ship is identified as Rye Song Gang 1. The ship was a part of the Nov. 21 sanctions that was possibly trading oil to avoid the sanctions.
According to the South Korean newspaper, the ship can be seen connected to a Chinese vessel in satellite images taken on October 19.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying denied the report that China is illegally selling oil to North Korea.
“The Chinese government has been comprehensively, accurately, faithfully and strictly implementing the Security Council’s DPRK-related resolutions,” he said in a press conference, Ecns.cn reported.
“If there is solid evidence proving that there is on the Chinese side any violation of the Security Council resolutions, China will surely deal with it in accordance with laws and regulations, and not a single case of violation should get away with it,” Hua added.
