Now these new sanctions come after the Hanoi summit fallout,... signalling that the U.S. will continue to pressure North Korea, unless the regime takes denuclearization steps.<br />Our Lee Ji-won has more. <br />Washington's new sanctions on Chinese ships doing business with North Korea are the first sanctions since the Hanoi summit collapsed. <br />The additional bans are seen as moves to pressure the regime, with neither North Korea nor the U.S. budging in their denuclearization negotiations. <br />At the Hanoi summit, North Korea allegedly said it wants a phased approach in the denuclearization talks, which include corresponding measures of easing sanctions related to people's everyday lives. <br />To this, the U.S. says sanctions will not be removed until steps towards complete denuclearization are taken. <br />A U.S. State Department official reiterated this on Thursday when responding to a Voice of America question about South Korean data that says suspected illegal transshipments involving North Korean vessels rose two fold to 130 cases last year from the year before.<br />The official also warned that Washington will not hesitate to take unilateral action against entities that conduct prohibited activities or facilitate sanctions evasion. <br />While urging the international community to continue its pressure campaign, the State Department official opened the door for dialogue, saying that it remains ready to establish a stable peace on the Korean Peninsula, in parallel with the denuclearization efforts. <br />Washington's push for the international community to maintain the sanctions campaign is also evident in U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton's interview on Breitbart News on Wednesday. <br />Bolton said "China could really hold the key to this if they press North Korea hard enough", adding that Beijing takes over 90-percent of the North's external trade and that the U.S. will continue to press China to enforce all the sanctions against the regime. <br />Bolton also pointed out that China, too, has always said it doesn't want to see North Korea with nuclear weapons.<br />Lee Ji-won, Arirang News. <br />
