North Korean seafood continuously sold in China

Benjamin Katzeff Silberstein

Reports Daily NK:

There has been further confirmation that North Korean seafood products are being sold in China despite sanctions on the export of such items by the UN Security Council.
Large volumes of North Korean seafood products that were smuggled into the country as recently as last year are now being processed by China’s customs authorities, Daily NK sources say.
A photo of traders running to line up around trucks full of North Korean dried fish in Jilin, Húnchūn and Bàiquán Xiàn after inspections by the customs authorities appears to support these allegations.
In the image, the traders appear to be competing for a share of the North Korean dried fish, which has become difficult to purchase since international sanctions took effect.
“The tax authorities at Quanhe Customs seem to be allowing the passage of trucks full of dried fish from North Korea,” said a China-based source on May 29. “Because of that, we have started to see North Korean seafood products in the markets of Yánjí.”
The source added that the import of North Korean seafood products had been “totally prohibited following sanctions last year,” but that imports have “increased recently.” It is likely that smuggling has enabled the products to show up in China.
Daily NK sources suspect that China is “turning a blind eye” to the prohibitions on North Korean exports following recent summits between the Chinese and North Korean leaders.
“The Chinese prohibited the importation of fish, shellfish, dried squid and pollack up until last year,” said a separate source in China close to North Korean affairs.
“But after about a year they seem to be loosening the prohibitions.”
In August 2017, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2371, which includes seafood products in the list of banned North Korean export items. China announced a complete ban on the import of North Korean seafood products on August 15, 2017.
North Korean seafood products smuggled in via China ‘s customs authorities
Moon Dong Hui
Daily NK
2018-05-31
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