North Korea criticizes China for leaning towards the US, abandoning its allies

North Korean state media today criticized "the neighboring power is leaning towards the enemy".

North Korea announced on February 12 that it had successfully launched a new ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Photo: Reuters.

In the commentary, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not directly mention China but said that "a country that often calls itself a friendly neighbor is threatening that the DPRK will suffer great losses." The article implied that China was siding with the enemy to "degrade the social system" of North Korea.

"This country, which calls itself a big country, is siding with the US while justifying its selfish behavior with reasons that it has no negative impact on the lives of the North Korean people but is only aimed at the nuclear program," the article said.

China said on February 18 it would ban coal imports from North Korea until the end of the year, a week after Pyongyang tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile. The Trump administration has urged China to increase pressure on North Korea to stop its missile and nuclear programs that violate United Nations resolutions.

As the largest ally, China has recently repeatedly opposed North Korea's pursuit of nuclear and missile programs, repeatedly supporting sanctions imposed by the United Nations on Pyongyang.

North Korea is currently China's fourth largest coal supplier, reaching 22.48 million tons last year, up 14.5 percent from 2015./.

According to VNE