By PortalPortuario Editorial Staff/Reuters Agency
@PortalPortuario
China is providing mooring space to a russian freighter which is sanctioned by state Joined for being involved in transfers of north korean weapons to Russiaaccording to satellite images obtained -.
Meanwhile, in state Joined Concerns are growing about the support of Beijing to the war promoted from Moscow in Ukraine. It should be remembered that the Russian invasion took place on February 24, 2022 and, to date, is still ongoing.
The British think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) realized that the Russian ship Angarawhich since August 2023 has moved thousands of containers believed to contain North Korean munitions to Russian ports, has been anchored in a chinese shipyard in the eastern province of Zhejiang since the second month of this year.
The presence of the ship in the Chinese port complex underscores the challenges facing the United States and its allies as they try to cut off military and economic support to Russia.
With Ukraine under renewed Russian attack and running out of ammunition, U.S. officials have issued increasingly harsh warnings about what they say is China’s help in rebuilding the Russian military after its early setbacks in the Ukraine war.
That support is expected to top the agenda this week when Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Beijing. He second diplomat of the State Department, Kurt Campbellsaid this month that Washington he would not “sit by” if Beijing increased its support for Moscow.
A US State Department spokesperson He maintained that he was aware of “credible and open-source reports” that the Angara is currently docked in a Chinese port and that he had raised the issue with Chinese authorities.
“We call on all member states to fulfill their obligations under the UNSCR 2397“said the official, referring to a resolution of the United Nations to restrict trade with North Korea and demand that the states UN to cancel the registration of any vessel involved in illicit activities.
“When Secretary Blinken meets with his counterparts from the People’s Republic of China this week, he will address a number of concerns, including Russia’s war against Ukraine and ties between Russia and the DPRK,” the spokesperson said, referring to China and Korea. of the North by the initials of their official names.
The satellite images that RUSI obtained in recent months from companies such as Planet Labs PBCa San Francisco-based Earth imaging firm, showed the Angara docked at the Zhoushan Xinya Shipyard in Zhejiang, which on its website says it is China’s largest private ship repair company.
The vessel was identified by its unique transponder. automatic identification system (AIS) which had been activated briefly, probably for safety reasons, while navigating a busy stretch of the Korea Strait en route to China.
RUSI said that before arriving in China on February 9, apparently for repairs or maintenance, the Angara had been docked in January at North Korean and Russian ports with its transponder turned off. She again stopped broadcasting shortly after arriving in China.
Trips to Russia
The ship, sanctioned by the United States in May 2022, had made at least 11 deliveries between the North Korean port of Raseon and Russian port compounds since August 2023, according to RUSI, which has been tracking their movements as part of a project to use open-source data to monitor North Korea’s sanctions evasion.
The Chinese embassy in Washington He said he was not aware of details related to the Angara, but that China “always opposes unilateral sanctions and far-reaching jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or Security Council mandate.”
He Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs He also said he had no information on the matter. The United States and dozens of other countries argued that North Korea’s arms transfers to Russia “flagrantly” violate multiple U.S. resolutions. UN Security Council.
Joseph Byrne, RUSI researchersaid the Chinese government should know that the US-sanctioned ship was docked at its shipyard.
“If you allow (the Angara) to leave port without being inspected and newly repaired, then it shows that China will probably not take any action against these Russian vessels,” Byrne stressed.
Washington has repeatedly called on China not to help Moscow’s war effort since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which came just weeks after Russia and China declared a “unlimited partnership.”
Blinken last week criticized Chinese support for the Russian defense industry, saying Beijing was currently the largest contributor to Moscow’s war in Ukraine through its supply of critical weapons components.
The Zhoushan Xinya shipyard’s website says its customers come from Asia, Europe and the United States and that it has “strategic cooperation” with global shipping companies, including Maersk and Evergreen from Taiwan, as well as partnerships with European technology companies.
It is worth mentioning that both Russia and North Korea have repeatedly dismissed criticism of alleged arms deliveries. Moscow says it will develop ties with the countries it wants and that its cooperation with Pyongyang does not contravene international agreements.
Campbell said at an event in Washington that China and North Korea’s growing partnership with Russia was “antithetical” to US security interests in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
