North Korea crisis: Furious China responds to Trump’s claim Beijing sells oil to Pyongyang

A Chinese ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China would always implement UN resolutions in their entirety, adding if there really were violations China would deal with them seriously in accordance with the law.

In September, the UN Security Council put a cap of two million barrels a year on refined petroleum products exports to North Korea.

Ms Hua was responding to Donald Trump after the US President said he had “been soft” on China on trade issues that he was not happy Beijing had allowed oil shipments to go into North Korea.

Mr Trump told the New York Times: “I have been soft on China because the only thing more important to me than trade is war.”

On Thursday, Mr Trump said on Twitter that China has been “caught” allowing oil into North Korea and said such moves would prevent “a friendly solution” to the crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

He wrote: ”Caught RED HANDED – very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen!”

Mr Trump’s comments came after US satellite images claimed to show Chinese tankers transferring fuel to North Korean ships 30 times in just three months.

The shocking pictures show vessels tied together in the West Sea, using hoses to transfer the oil.

Ship-to-ship trades with North Korea are banned under a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution adopted in September.

The US Treasury said: “North Korea is known to employ deceptive shipping practices, including ship-to-ship transfers, a practice prohibited by the UNSC. 

“The images below were taken on October 19, 2017, and they depict a recent attempt by Korea Kumbyol Trading Company’s vessel RYE SONG GANG 1 to conduct a ship-to-ship transfer, possibly of oil, in an effort to evade sanctions.” 

The revelations have sparked anger in South Korea, which has repeatedly urged China to cut ties with Kim’s communist regime.

US Treasury Secretary Steven T Mnuchin said: “As North Korea continues to threaten international peace and security, we are steadfast in our determination to maximise economic pressure to isolate it from outside sources of trade and revenue while exposing its evasive tactics.

“These designations include companies that have engaged in trade with North Korea cumulatively worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

“We are also sanctioning the shipping and transportation companies, and their vessels, that facilitate North Korea’s trade and its deceptive manoeuvres.”