US sanctions 2 Chinese firms over alleged N Korea trade

By Riyaz ul Khaliq </p> <p>ANKARA – The U.S. has imposed sanctions on two Chinese shipping companies suspected of doing businesses with North Korea.</p> <p>The statement posted by the U.S. Department of Treasury on its website said its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two Chinese shipping companies “that have helped North Korea evade sanctions”. </p> <p>The move came after U.S. President Donald Trump exited his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam last month without reaching any deal on denuclearization of Korean peninsula. </p> <p>The statement said Dalian Haibo International Freight Co. Ltd. and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co. Ltd. “helped North Korea evade sanctions”.</p> <p>“Today’s action highlights the deceptive methods that the North Korean regime uses to circumvent international and U.S. sanctions, as well as the U.S. Government’s commitment to implement existing UN Security Council resolutions,” it added. </p> <p>The U.S. Treasury also said that OFAC, along with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Coast Guard, was updating the North Korea shipping advisory and adding dozens of vessels that are “believed to have engaged in ship-to-ship (STS) transfers with North Korean tankers or exported North Korean coal”.</p> <p>North Korea is under strict UN sanctions since 2006 after it launched its nuclear program.