The Bank of China has stopped doing business with a large North Korean bank, falling into line with a US-led sanctions push to restrict funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

中国银行(Bank of China)已终止与朝鲜一家大型银行之间的业务往来，以配合由美国牵头的、旨在限制朝鲜核计划资金来源的制裁努力。

The decision to close the bank account follows an increase in tensions on the Korean peninsula and may be a sign that Beijing is willing to place more pressure on Pyongyang.

中行是在朝鲜半岛紧张局势升级之后决定关闭朝方银行账户的，此举可能是一个迹象，表明北京方面愿意对平壤施加更大压力。

The US Treasury hit the Foreign Trade Bank, North Korea’s main foreign exchange bank, with sanctions in March, saying it was “a key financial node” in North Korea’s nuclear and missile proliferation activities. The bank had not been named among the institutions targeted for asset freezes by expanded UN Security Council sanctions introduced in January and March.

美国财政部(US Treasury)从3月起制裁了朝鲜外贸银行(Foreign Trade Bank)，称这家朝鲜主要的外汇银行是该国核武和导弹扩散活动的“一个关键金融节点”。此前在联合国安理会(UN Security Council)于今年1月和3月出台的扩大制裁措施中，该行并未被列为资产冻结对象。

Other countries such as Japan and Australia have since joined the US in applying sanctions against Foreign Trade Bank, but co-operation from banks in China, North Korea’s closest economic partner, is essential in the efforts to choke off cash flows.

自那以来，日本和澳大利亚等国加入美国的行列，对朝鲜外贸银行进行制裁，但鉴于中国是朝鲜最密切的经济合作伙伴，中国各银行的配合对于卡断资金流动的努力是不可或缺的。

A drive to “put pressure on Beijing to pressure Pyongyang” needs to be at the heart of Washington’s policy on North Korea, said Kurt Campbell, until February the US undersecretary of state for east Asia.

今年2月刚卸任美国东亚及太平洋事务助理国务卿一职的科特•坎贝尔(Kurt Campbell)表示，“施压北京、使其向平壤施压”有必要成为美国对朝政策的中心内容。

“Bank of China has sent North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank a notice that it has closed its account and has also halted all fund transfers related to this account,” Bank of China said yesterday. It declined to provide details about how much money was affected or the timing of the move.

中行周二表示，已向朝鲜外贸银行发出关闭账户通知，并停止受理涉及该账户的资金转账业务。中行拒绝透露此举涉及多少资金，也不愿介绍实施此举的具体时间。

Bank of China is the country’s biggest bank for foreign exchange transactions, so the account closure could hurt the North Korean institution. But the impact is likely to be minimal unless imposed by all Chinese banks because other institutions, including small regional entities, are also capable of handling foreign currency deals.

中行是中国最大的外汇交易银行，因此关闭账户之举可能对朝鲜外贸银行产生负面影响。但是，除非中国所有银行都采取同样行动，否则这种影响很可能不大，因为中国许多其他金融机构、包括较小的地方性银行也能经手外汇交易。

“This is part of a ratcheting up of pressure but with very clear limits. This is part of making North Korea feel some limited pain in an attempt to get them back to talks,” said Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt, northeast Asia director at the International Crisis Group.

“此举意在施加更大压力，但存在非常清晰的限度。目的是让朝鲜感受到有限的痛苦，推动其返回谈判桌，”国际危机组织(International Crisis Group)东北亚项目负责人斯蒂芬妮•克莱恩-阿尔布兰特(Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt)表示。

The move by Bank of China may also reflect risk management by the bank itself rather than bigger diplomatic motives. The US Treasury had warned financial institutions around the world to be wary of the risks of doing business with Foreign Trade Bank. In 2006 after the US imposed sanctions on Banco Delta Asia, a Macau bank that held North Korean funds, Bank of China responded in similar fashion by freezing North Korean-related assets at its Macau branch.

中行此举也可能是该行自身风险管理的需要，而非出于更宏大的外交动机。美国财政部此前警告世界各地的金融机构提防同朝鲜外贸银行开展业务往来的风险。2006年，在美国对持有朝鲜资金的澳门汇业银行(Banco Delta Asia)实施制裁后，中行也曾做出类似回应，冻结其澳门分行所持的朝鲜相关资产。

China is by far North Korea’s most important formal ally, and overwhelmingly its biggest trading partner. Yet the alliance, which dates back to the Korean war, has long been strained. Analysts say Pyongyang has persistently refused Chinese attempts to encourage it to emulate Beijing’s economic reforms.

中国是朝鲜的最重要正式盟友和最大贸易伙伴，其他国家在这两方面远远落后于中国。但是，在朝鲜战争期间结成的中朝同盟关系长期以来一直很紧张。分析人士称，朝鲜一再拒绝中国鼓励其仿效中方、走经济改革道路的劝告。