China stopped exporting crude products to North Korea in November amid soaring tensions over the hermit kingdom’s nuclear and missile programmes, international media reported on Tuesday.

China shuts off North Korean tap

China

BEIJING, December 26, 2017 – China stopped exporting crude products to North Korea in November amid soaring tensions over the hermit kingdom’s nuclear and missile programmes, international media reported on Tuesday.

The move impacted petrol, jet fuel, diesel and fuel oil sales, and it is unclear whether it included oil supplies, Reuters reported, citing Chinese Customs data.

It came ahead of a resolution by the UN Security Council last week, which capped oil products trade with North Korea at 500,000 barrels per year.

“As a principle, China has consistently fully, correctly, conscientiously and strictly enforced relevant UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told journalists. “We have already established a set of effective operating mechanisms and methods.”