U.S. Pressures China To Cut The Flow Of Oil To North Korea

UPI: U.S. to ask China to ban oil exports to North Korea, report says

The proposal also suggests banning flights of North Korean airline Air Koryo to and from other countries.

SEOUL, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The United States is expected to ask China to ban oil exports to North Korea and block imports of North Korean mineral resources, including iron ore and anthracite, as part of tighter sanctions against Pyongyang.

Quoting an anonymous diplomatic source, Kyodo News reported the Obama administration has prepared a draft proposal that could place China's energy supply to the isolated North at the center of new United Nations Security Council sanctions.

The proposal also suggests banning flights of North Korean airline Air Koryo to and from other countries. Beijing, the Chinese capital, is a major air hub for visitors seeking to visit Pyongyang.

Read more ....

Update: US trying to sway hesitant China on tough sanctions (Nikkei Asian Review)

WNU Editor: China has been covertly supplying oil to North Korea for years .... China 'covertly providing oil to North Korea' (Telegraph) .... and I doubt that they are now going to listen to the U.S. and cut North Korea's oil supplies. The Chinese know too well that such a cut-off will destabilize the entire peninsula, as well as signalling to the North Korean leadership that the Chinese now want them gone. Instead .... my prediction is that the Chinese will continue their policy of maintaining the status quo and containing North Korea as much as possible .... in short .... to not "rock the boat".

Hat Tip to reader D. Clark for the above link.

Update: It appears that there is an Iranian connection on why the U.S. wants to enforce sanctions .... The Keys to Iran’s Missiles are in China and North Korea (Gordon G. Chang, Daily Beast).