EIJING (Reuters) - China’s gasoline and diesel exports to North Korea and iron ore imports from the isolated nation fell in August as trade continued to slow after the United Nations’ latest sanctions, customs data showed on Tuesday.
The release comes after data on Saturday showed China’s trade with North Korea jumped in August even after the U.N. sanctions, mainly driven by a rise in imports.
The data also showed China imported 1.6 million tonnes of coal from North Korea, the first since February when Beijing banned purchases of the fuel from its northern neighbor.
It was not immediately clear why the data showed shipments had resumed. A customs official said she would investigate the matter.
Last month, the U.N. Security council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea targeting its exports of coal, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood. The sanctions took effect this month, but China enforced the new measures from Aug. 15.
China’s diesel exports to North Korea were 170 tonnes, compared with zero tonnes in August last year and gasoline shipments were 180 tonnes, down 96.3 percent from a year ago.
Reporting by Josephine Mason and Stella Qiu; Editing by Richard Pullin
