China to cut off North Korean imports under UN sanctions

China announced Monday it will cut off imports of North Korean coal, iron ore and other goods in three weeks under U.N. sanctions imposed over the North's nuclear and missile programs.

China, the isolated North's main trading partner, has been reluctant to push leader Kim Jong Un's regime too hard for fear it might collapse. But Beijing is increasingly frustrated with Pyongyang and supported a U.N. Security Council ban on Aug. 5 on coal and other key goods.

The Chinese customs agency said it will stop processing imports of North Korean coal, iron and lead ores and fish at midnight on Sept. 5.

"After that, entry of these goods will be prohibited," said an agency statement.

The announcement follows an escalating exchange of angry words between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim's government. Trump declared the U.S. military "locked and loaded" while Pyongyang threatened to fire four missiles into waters near the U.S. territory of Guam. The latest U.N. sanctions are intended to block North Korean exports worth $1 billion — a significant share of total exports valued at $3 billion last year.

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