President Donald Trump is reminding the world that he's long warned about the dangers posed by North Korea's nuclear program.
Documents seen by Reuters this month showed Washington called on the Security Council to blacklist 10 ships for circumventing sanctions by conducting ship-to-ship transfers of refined petroleum products to North Korean vessels or transporting North Korean coal.
Trump's tweet came after a South Korean newspaper published what it said were USA spy satellite images of Chinese ships selling oil to North Korean ships.
The U.S.in September sought to persuade the UN Security Council to pass a resolution banning oil exports to North Korea.
Last week, the Security Council unanimously approved tighter sanctions on North Korea, including measures to slash imports of refined petroleum products by nearly 90 percent from January, as well as further restrict shipping and imposing a 24-month deadline for expatriate North Korean workers to be sent home.
The United Nations Security Council, which includes China, has voted repeatedly to restrict fuel shipments to North Korea.
A ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said Wednesday she had no information about the latest report.
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"The situation you have mentioned absolutely does not exist", he said.
North Korea, meanwhile, says Trump's hopes that it will give up its nuclear weapons is a "pipe dream".
Trump did not provide additional details.
The U.S. Treasury Department placed six North Korean shipping and trading companies and 20 of their ships on sanctions list on November 21, when it published spy satellite images taken on October 19 showing a ship named Ryesonggang 1 connected to a Chinese vessel.
Trump's key to North Korea, however, has always been China and his personal relationship with Xi.
"This was always bound to happen". Though he has feted President Xi Jinping in the United States and traveled to China to meet with Xi, he has also openly criticized the country's trade policies and slammed China as having "no impact" on North Korea. Oil deliveries via a pipeline with China are allowed to continue under the restrictions.
"The solution is a coherent strategy, not bluster", he said.