Washington:
The United States announced sanctions on Wednesday against a network of half a dozen people and five companies in China that it accuses of supporting North Korea’s space and ballistic missile programs.
The network reportedly helped North Korea acquire items for its ballistic missile programs, which the US Treasury Department said were being operated in “flagrant violation” of UN Security Council resolutions.
North Korea’s continued development of its ballistic missile technologies “is both irresponsible and destabilizing to both the region and the international community,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
“The United States remains committed to using our tools to enforce these international sanctions, including dismantling illicit purchasing networks that provide essential inputs for these technologies,” he added.
The U.S. Treasury said North Korea’s space and ballistic missile programs made use of an “extensive network” of foreign agents to acquire the necessary foreign-sourced materials, which included personnel in its diplomatic missions and business offices, “as well as as citizens of third countries”. .”
It also turns to foreign companies to acquire the items it needs, the Treasury added.
Among those sanctioned by the Treasury on Wednesday was Shi Qianpei, a Chinese national, whom the Treasury Department accused of working with a previously designated individual based in Beijing to acquire sheet metal used in the production of North Korean missiles.
Other sanctioned individuals include Chen Tianxin, Shi Qianpei’s business partner and wife, and two of his employees, who helped with the procurement efforts, the Treasury said.
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