North Korea Violating UN Sanctions With China's Help, Report Says

North Korea continued to violate United Nations Security Council sanctions in 2019 with the help of China, according to a Feb. 10 Reuters report. North Korea continued improving its missile programs, imported refined petroleum and exported about $370 million worth of coal using Chinese barges, Reuters said, referencing a not-yet-released UN report expected to be issued next month. Most of North Korea’s illegal coal exports were conducted through ship-to-ship transfers from North Korean vessels to Chinese barges, the report said, which delivered the coal directly to ports in China’s Hangzhou Bay and facilities along the Yangtze River.

China’s mission to the United Nations called the accusations “baseless,” according to Reuters. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson declined to comment, saying during a Feb. 11 press conference that the report “should be strictly confidential at this stage.” A United Nations panel of experts told the U.S. Congress that sanctions on North Korea are ineffective (see 1903270056), and the UN has previously said North Korea is able to trade using illegal ship-to-ship transfers (see 1903150063), whereby goods are transferred between vessels at sea. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued guidance on North Korea’s illegal shipping activities in March (see 1903210052).