bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Reuters

A fleet of North Korean cargo ships is heading home to the port of Nampo, the majority of it fully laden, after China ordered its trading companies to return coal from the isolated country, shipping data shows.
Following repeated missile tests that drew international criticism, China banned all imports of North Korean coal on February 26, cutting off the country’s most important export product.
To curb coal traffic between the two countries, China’s customs department issued an official order on April 7 telling trading companies to return their North Korean coal cargoes, said three trading sources with direct knowledge of the order.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed North Korea at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on April 7.
North Korea condemns ‘reckless moves’ after US sends strike group to region in show of strength
Shipping data shows a dozen cargo ships on their way to North Korea’s main west coast port of Nampo, almost all carrying cargoes from China.
The Chinese authorities did not respond to requests for official comment.
The Trump administration has been pressuring China to do more to rein in North Korea, which sends the vast majority of its exports to its giant neighbour across the Yellow Sea.
But US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said last week’s US military strike against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons was a warning to other countries, including North Korea, that “a response is likely” if they pose a danger.
As a US Navy strike group headed to the region in a show of force, China and South Korea agreed on Monday to slap tougher sanctions on North Korea if it carries out nuclear or long-range missile tests, a senior official in Seoul said.
North Korea marks several major anniversaries this month and often marks the occasions with major tests of military hardware.
A source at Dandong Chengtai, one of China’s biggest buyers of North Korean coal, said the company had 600,000 tonnes of North Korean coal sitting at various ports, and a total of two million tonnes was stranded at Chinese ports.
Data shows that most of these ships have recently left Chinese coal ports, including Weihai and Peng Lai, returning to North Korea full or mostly filled with cargo.
Malaysia briefly prevented a North Korean ship carrying coal from China from entering its port in Penang last month because of a suspected breach in sanctions. The ship was eventually allowed to unload its 6,300 metric tonnes of anthracite coal. North Korea is a significant supplier of coal to China, especially of the type used for steel making, known as coking coal.
China and South Korea warn Pyongyang of stiffer sanctions over weapons tests
To make up for the shortfall from North Korea, China has ramped up imports from the United States in an unexpected boon for US President Donald Trump, who has declared he wants to revive his country’s struggling coal sector.
No US coking coal was exported to China between late 2014 and 2016, but shipments soared to over 400,000 tonnes by late February.
This trend was exacerbated after cyclone Debbie knocked out supplies from the world’s top coking coal region in Australia’s state of Queensland, forcing Chinese steel makers to buy even more US cargoes.
The other big coking coal supplier that has ramped up exports to China since the ban on North Korean cargoes is Russia.


South Korea’s threat to dissolve corrupt religious groups risks political blowback

North Korea beckons Chinese tourists with beach resort in 2026 calendar

Why South Korea is powerless to revive Trump-Kim nuclear talks

Trump drops North Korea denuclearisation goal in 2026, hinting at talks with Kim Jong-un

Korean peninsula

North Korean ships return home with coal after China tightens sanctions

A file picture of workers at coal depot at Dandong port on China’s border with North Korea. Photo: Reuters

A Thomson Reuters Eikon ship-tracking screen shows cargo ships returning to Nampo port in North Korea April 11, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration

News

China

Diplomacy

Asia

About a dozen cargo ships on way to North Korean port amid stricter sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme


North Korea

North Korea nuclear crisis

North Korean ships return home with coal after China tightens sanctions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}About a dozen cargo ships on way to North Korean port amid stricter sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme

About a dozen cargo ships on way to North Korean port amid stricter sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme