Beijing stiffens export bans

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Beijing stiffens export bans

BEIJING - A list of goods banned for export to North Korea signals China’s commitment to enforcing international sanctions and is in no way intended to punish Pyongyang, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Hong Lei, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said publication of the list underscored China’s “strict attitude” in enforcing sanctions.

“However, we would like to point out that in the UN Security Council’s decision on North Korea, punishment is not the goal,” Hong told a news briefing. “It is to encourage denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.”

Western countries and independent experts have accused China in recent months of failing to implement UN sanctions on the North, including the most recent punitive measures adopted after Pyongyang’s third nuclear test in February. The 236-page list, released on Monday by the Ministry of Commerce, is made up mostly of items known as “dual-use” technologies, meaning they have both civilian and military applications. It is divided into sections of goods that could be used in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs. Reuters

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