US Sanctions On Chinese Entities Tied to N Korea Hinder Mutual Trust - Beijing

The US intention to impose sanctions on a number of Chinese companies which cooperate with North Korea will not resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, but undermine trust and mutual understanding between Beijing and Washington, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lu Kang said Wednesday.

BEIJING (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, an official from the US Department of State said that the sanctions against North Korea, proposed by the Trump administration, might target Chinese individuals and entities that cooperated with Pyongyang.

"Such actions of the United States will not contribute to solving the existing problem by any means, and will not be beneficial for building trust and mutual understanding between China and the United States regarding the issue of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons," Lu told a press conference.

The spokesman reiterated that China strongly opposed unilateral economic sanctions.

"China does not accept the introduction of unilateral sanctions outside of the UN Security Council framework, and we especially oppose the introduction of restrictive measures against Chinese companies and individuals, based on the legislation of a third country," Lu said.

On July 13, US Senators proposed a new bill that would target banks and companies that do business with North Korea, in response to the latest of Pyongyang's missile test. The restrictive measures might enter into force within several weeks.

The United States has already sanctioned some entities and individuals over their ties to North Korea.

China is by far the largest trading partner of North Korea. In April, the Chinese General Administration of Customs said trade between the two countries in the first quarter increased 37.4 percent year-over-year, even despite the UN sanctions on North Korean supplies of coal, the country's top export earner.