US calls on China to cut coal imports propping up N. Korea
BEIJING -- A senior US official has urged China to work with the US to close a loophole on North Korean coal imports that Washington believes has been "critical" to propping up the isolated country's finances.
Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Beijing on Saturday ahead of talks with Chinese officials that Chinese coal imports from North Korea contributed to $1 billion in revenue for Pyongyang last year. The US has been seeking new UN sanctions to stymie North Korea's economy and force leader Kim Jong Un into abandoning his nuclear and missile programs.
