China Strictly Adheres to UN Sanctions on North Korea

China confirmed on Monday that it "strictly implements UN sanctions on North Korea," in response to a message from the G7, the European Union, and others urging Beijing to prevent Pyongyang from evading measures by using China's territorial waters. The message, addressed to Beijing on Friday, expressed concern over "the continued presence of multiple oil tankers... using your territorial waters in the Sansha Gulf as a refuge to facilitate the trade of sanctioned petroleum products" to North Korea. The message was signed by G7 members, which include the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and the European Union, and it came ahead of a high-level Chinese delegation's visit to North Korea this week. A spokesperson for China's mission to the UN responded on Twitter to a Reuters report regarding the message sent to China's UN envoy, Zhang Jun: "China has always strictly implemented Security Council resolutions and seriously fulfills its international obligations." The spokesperson added that "China urges the relevant parties to fully implement Security Council resolutions regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), particularly those related to resuming dialogue, enhancing diplomatic efforts, and encouraging political settlement."