Beijing reluctant to respond to calls to close 'China-North Korea Friendship Pipeline'?

(Baonghean.vn) - The US continues to pressure China to force it to stop crude oil shipments to North Korea, thereby blocking the economic lifeline for the Pyongyang regime following the latest missile threat posed by the Northeast Asian country.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP

During the phone call, US President Donald Trump personally called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to block the oil pipeline supplying North Korea after North Korea conducted a test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on November 29, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said: "This is a key step in the international effort to end this internationally condemned action."

China has enforced a series of UN sanctions against its Cold War ally, but Beijing has been reluctant to respond to calls to close the “China-North Korea Friendship Pipeline”.

According to Mr. Wang Peng, a North Korea expert at China's Charhar Institute, most of the oil China supplies to North Korea is used for the military and to serve Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

Daniel Russel, an expert at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said China was concerned that stopping the flow of energy could cause the North Korean government to collapse or provoke a violent response from Pyongyang.

“There is no way China is going to stop oil shipments. They understand that very well,” Mr. Russel said. “I think President Xi is moving more slowly because his priority is to avoid chaos, not to avoid building a nuclear-capable ICBM.”

Expert Wang said Beijing was concerned about cutting off oil supplies because the move would “certainly ruin relations” with its neighbor.

According to him, China is more likely to "kick the ball to the US's feet" than take direct action such as responding directly to the latest missile threat./.

Lan Ha

(According to AFP)