DHAKA: A list of goods banned for export to North Korea signals China’s commitment to enforcing international sanctions and is in no way intended to punish Pyongyang.

China foreign ministry said on Tuesday, reports The Straits Times.

Hong Lei, a spokesman for China’s foreign affairs ministry, said publication of the list underscored China’s ‘strict attitude’ in enforcing sanctions.

‘However we would like to point out that in the UN Security Council’s decision on North Korea, punishment is not the goal,’ Hong told a news briefing.

‘It is to encourage denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula.’

Western countries and independent experts have accused China in recent months of failing to implement United Nations sanctions on the North, including the most recent punitive measures adopted after Pyongyang’s third nuclear test in February.

BDST: 1702 HRS, SEPT 24, 2013
RoR/RK