China will not import coal from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for the rest of 2017, the Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday. The ministry's decision to suspend coal imports is in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2321, which was adopted on Nov 30 to tighten sanctions on the DPRK in response to its fifth nuclear test in September.

Beijing strongly supports the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and is willing to go to great lengths to discourage Pyongyang from developing nuclear weapons. It has not only pledged to uphold the Security Council resolutions against Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, but also made sure its ministries carry out the sanctions. The ban on coal imports is a case in point.

However, other countries involved in the DPRK nuclear issue should shoulder their responsibilities as well, rather than just demand China do more.