BEIJING, May 7 (RIA Novosti) – Bank of China has closed the account of a major North Korean bank slapped with US sanctions in March over what Washington said was the bank’s assistance in financing Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
Bank of China, one of China’s top five state commercial banks, said it had stopped transactions with North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank and closed its account. The bank did not give any reason for the closure.
The move comes amid China’s growing frustration with its traditional ally over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and Pyongyang’s increasingly threatening rhetoric.
Tensions have been rising since December, when international sanctions against North Korea were imposed in response to a long-range rocket launch that it claimed was a satellite launch and the UN said was a trial of ballistic missile technology. Pyongyang responded with a nuclear test in February, which was met by more sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council.
North Korea has also threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes against the US mainland and US military bases in the region.
