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Beijing Is Violating North Korean Sanctions
New business links fly in the face of a Security Council resolution.By Gordon G. Chang Kim Jong Il hugged Wen Jiabao on the Chinese premier's arrival in Pyongyang on October 4. Analysts were surprised at the time that the reclusive North Korean supremo made the trip to the tarmac to show his affection. Now we know why: Mr. Wen came to the North Korean capital less to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea--the ostensible purpose of the trip--than to sign commercial pacts with it. By doing so, China undoubtedly violated United Nations Security Resolution 1874 by giving Kim the means to keep his nuclear arsenal in the face of intense international pressure. Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, was sparse with details on the deals. It merely stated the two communist states "signed a series of agreements on cooperation and announced that a new highway bridge over the Yalu River will be built." But reports from South Korean newspapers indicate Beijing, as a part of a comprehensive package, also agreed to provide financial assistance to Kim's destitute state. Chinese grants to the North total at least $200 million. Never mind that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, unanimously adopted June 12, forbids many, if not most, commercial contacts with Kim's Korea. Paragraph 19 calls on U.N. member states "not to enter into new commitments for grants, financial assistance, or concessional loans to the DPRK, except for humanitarian and developmental purposes directly addressing the needs of the civilian population, or the promotion of denuclearization." Paragraph 20 calls on members "not to provide public financial support for trade with the DPRK . . . where such financial support could contribute to the DPRK's nuclear-related or ballistic missile-related or other WMD-related programs or activities." Posted by: Steve White 2009-10-18 |
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