China to seriously implement UN sanctions on North Korea: Chinese Foreign Ministry

The Chinese Foreign Ministry says Beijing would seriously implement new United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing on Thursday that Beijing would seriously implement UN Security Council resolution 2321 over North’s largest and most recent nuclear test in September.

He added that China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, had a "responsible attitude,” stressing that his country had always implemented UNSC resolutions and fulfilled "its international obligations according to the UN charter."

China imported 1.8 million tonnes of coal worth $101 million from North Korea in October alone, according to the most recent figures available on the Chinese Customs website. The volume was up nearly 40 percent year-on-year.

The 15-member UNSC on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution, which curbs Pyongyang's biggest export, coal, by at least 60 percent. It also bans the country's copper, nickel, silver and zinc exports.

The resolution, spearheaded by the United States and passed by a 15-0 vote, condemns "in the strongest terms" North Korea's latest nuclear test on September 9.

On September 9, North Korea said that it had conducted a successful "nuclear warhead explosion" test, saying it was meant to counter US hostility.

Pyongyang's state media said the test had achieved its goal of being able to fit a miniaturized nuclear warhead on a rocket.

"Our nuclear scientists staged a nuclear explosion test on a newly developed nuclear warhead at the country's northern nuclear test site," a North Korean TV presenter said. 

Pyongyang rejects UNSC sanctions  

North Korea on Thursday condemned the new UNSC resolution as a violation of its sovereignty.

North Korea "strongly censures and categorically rejects it as another excess of authority and violation of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)'s sovereignty by the UNSC acting under instructions of the US," North’s official news agency, KCNA, quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying in a statement.

The statement added that the sanctions would not force North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, stressing that the embargoes would trigger "tougher countermeasures for self-defense" by Pyongyang and would "inevitably escalate tensions."

North Korea has been under a raft of UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests.

Pyongyang says it will not abandon its nuclear “deterrence” unless Washington ends its “hostile” policy toward the country. 

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