China bans North Korean iron, seafood imports

Beijing: China will halt iron, iron ore and seafood imports from North Korea starting today, following through on new UN sanctions after US pressure for Beijing to strong arm Pyongyang over its ally's nuclear programme. The decision was announced today after days of increasingly bellicose rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un's regime, which has raised international alarm about where the crisis is headed.

Beijing had pledged to fully enforce the latest sanctions after the US accused China of not doing enough to rein in its neighbour, which relies heavily on the Asian giant for its economic survival. The Chinese commerce ministry said on its website that all imports of coal, iron, iron ore and seafood will be "completely prohibited" from tomorrow. Beijing had already announced a suspension of coal imports too.