China supplied approximately 113,000 barrels of refined oil to North Korea from March to May this year. In violation of the United Nations reporting principle of 'monthly notification,' China reported three months' worth of supplies at once, bringing the cumulative supply for the year close to 40% of the annual limit.
According to the UN Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee on August 29, China reported supplying 20,848 barrels in March, 74,156 barrels in April, and 17,996 barrels in May. Under UN Security Council resolutions, countries supplying refined oil to North Korea are required to report their monthly deliveries by the 30th of each month, but China did not comply and submitted three months' worth of data at once.
This brings the total refined oil supply reported by China to North Korea from January to May to 194,828 barrels, which is 38.97% of the annual refined oil import limit for North Korea set by UN Security Council Resolution 2397, adopted in 2017.
The three-month refined oil figures reported to the UN match the total of various oil-related products recorded in China's customs monthly trade data with North Korea.
According to Voice of America (VOA), only 4.4% of the refined oil supplied to North Korea from March to May was used for actual fueling or energy purposes, such as aviation fuel and heavy oil. The remaining 95.6% consisted of non-fuel products, including asphalt for manufacturing and lubricants.
However, the international community believes that the actual amount of refined oil flowing into North Korea is likely much larger than the officially reported figures. Since Russia completely halted its reporting of refined oil supplies to North Korea in January 2024, China is currently the only country continuing to provide official reports. Amid increasing military cooperation and closer ties between North Korea and Russia, there are concerns that the actual refined oil imports by North Korea may have already exceeded the annual limit set by the Security Council when considering the quantities secretly supported by Russia and illegal maritime transshipments.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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