China says upholds United Nations sanctions as North Korea trade rises

He pointed to a 13.2 percent drop in imports from North Korea in the same period as an example of the pressure, adding that there have been sharp decreases every month since March.

Sanctions are fine, but what about the Chinese who depend on trade with North Korea?

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump denounced China's trade with North Korea, saying it had grown nearly 40 percent in the first quarter, and cast doubt on whether Beijing was helping to counter the threat from North Korea.

The decline follows China's decision in February to ban all imports of North Korean coal.

According to a joint poll by us political magazine Politico and pollster Morning Consult released Wednesday, 40 percent of registered American voters view North Korea as the greatest threat to America's national security.

But he said numbers showing an increase are not evidence that China is failing to enforce United Nations resolutions, with imports from North Korea falling every month since March.

Geng Shuang, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated during yesterday's routine conference that as a neighbouring country, China only maintains regular economic and trade exchanges with the DPRK for the good of the North Korean people.

But the Trump administration's patience grew even thinner last week after Pyongyang conducted its first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile believed to be capable of striking the U.S.

But Beijing is also eager to avoid riling Trump.

The US is reportedly preparing secondary sanctions which would target Chinese companies and individuals that do business with North Korea, according to Reuters.

The new data reflects China's attempt to pull off a delicate balancing act between the USA and North Korea, where it wants to prevent the regime collapsing because it worries about what that would mean for regional stability.