China move puts onus on US in N Korea impasse

BEIJING: China´s snap decision to halt North Korean coal imports -- a key economic lifeline for Pyongyang -- has a broader motive aimed at shaping Donald Trump´s as yet undefined policy towards the North´s rogue nuclear arms programme, experts say.

North Korea defied the world a week ago with a missile test and is suspected of orchestrating the stunning assassination a day later of supreme leader Kim Jong-Un´s half-brother in Malaysia, provocative acts that followed a nuclear test in September.

China is often the target of US criticism for not doing enough to rein in its irascible neighbour. But analysts said China´s ban on North Korean coal imports for the rest of this year could be an attempt by Beijing to defuse such criticisms while nudging North Korea and the United States toward negotiations.

Under the Obama administration, Washington pursued a policy of "strategic patience" toward North Korea in hopes that sanctions would bring Pyongyang to heel and force it to abandon its nukes.

The incoming Trump administration has stepped up the rhetoric, with the US leader saying after the February 12 missile launch that Pyongyang was a "big, big problem" and would be dealt with "very strongly".