China probes path of seized North Korea arms

Space War ^ | 2/25/2010 | Space War vis AFP

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

China said Thursday it was investigating whether a shipment of North Korean arms destined for Congo in violation of UN sanctions transited Chinese territory. UN diplomats said Tuesday that South Africa had notified the UN Security Council panel monitoring sanctions imposed on North Korea that the weapons had been seized in November. "China is looking into this issue... the Chinese side will also take part in relevant discussions," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said, in response to a report that the shipment went through the port of Dalian in northeast China. The spokesman refused further comment. China is North Korea's closest ally and provides substantial aid to the communist nation that has been gripped by economic crises and food shortages for much of the past 15 years. UN Security Council Resolution 1874, imposed in June 2009 after a North Korean nuclear test, bans all arms exports from the communist state and authorises UN member states to inspect North Korean cargo on land, sea and air