The UN Security Council's annual report by independent sanctions monitors showed that North Korea proceeded to flout Council resolutions in 2019, earning Pyongyang hundreds of millions of dollars "through illicit maritime exports of commodities, especially coal and sand"

Chinese neighboring North Korea security obedience to U.N. Sanctions initially implemented in 2006 are considered vital for the success of the sanctions, headed by the United States and adopted unanimously by the Security Council.

Reuters announced in February that the study on sanctions monitoring found North Korea continued last year to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

When asked whether China had obtained the notices and acted on them, the chinese foreign ministry spokesperson's office said in a statement on Thursday that China was enforcing UN sanctions.

"China has always fulfilled its international obligations earnestly and dealt with the relevant issues in line with the resolutions," it said.

The U.S. has said it estimated that Pyongyang received about $500 million a year from almost 100,000 employees overseas, 50,000 of which were in China. 

In a letter dated March 20 to the North Korea Sanctions Committee of the Council, China-which asked for its note to remain private-said it had completed the repatriation by the deadline of December 22.

Maritime Business World