US, allies call on China to stop oil tankers heading to DPRK

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Jul 2023 09:05
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A letter claims that the presence and movement of the tankers were observed by the UN group of experts.

The flags of China and the DPRK (AFP)

The Group of Seven (G7) nations, the European Union, and three other countries called, in a letter, on China to expel oil tankers from its waters that appear to be allegedly taking fuel to the DPRK in defiance of UN sanctions, AFP reported on Friday.

"We have concerns regarding the continuing presence of multiple oil tankers... that use your territorial waters in Sansha Bay as refuge to facilitate their trade of sanctioned petroleum products to the DPRK," the letter seen by AFP read.

Ambassadors from the G7 nations -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain, and the United States -- signed the letter addressed to China's UN envoy Zhang Jun. Also signing were envoys from the European Union, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

In the letter, the ambassadors told Zhang they "would like to provide your government with additional information and satellite imagery that clearly indicates these practices continued to occur within China's jurisdiction in 2022 and have continued in 2023."

"We reiterate our previous request that China inspect the vessels for evidence of illicit oil smuggling, deny them all services, and ultimately expel them from your waters as quickly as possible," it added.

Sansha Bay is in China's Fujian province and connects to the East China Sea through a deep channel.

The letter claimed that the presence and movement of the tankers were observed by the UN group of experts monitoring sanctions compliance by the DPRK.

It is noteworthy that the DPRK has been subject to UN sanctions since 2006 over its missile launches and nuclear programs. Additional sanctions in 2017 limited its crude oil imports.

In May 2022, China and Russia vetoed a resolution imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang, and no Council resolution or statement has been adopted since then.

"It is critical for the international community, including China, to send a strong and unified message that the DPRK must refrain from provocation, abide by its (UN Security Council) obligations... to achieve a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," the letter concluded.