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The cuts afflicted upon North Korea from sanctions are slicing closer to the bone as their ally has announced what could be the most Kim-damaging restriction yet.

As reported by NBC News:

China announced Saturday that it will limit energy supplies to North Korea and stop buying its textiles under U.N. sanctions imposed over its nuclear and missile development, further reducing support from Pyongyang’s last ally.

Exports of refined petroleum to the North will be limited to 2 million barrels per year, effective Jan. 1, the Commerce Ministry said. Sales of liquefied natural gas are banned outright.

This potentially could be an important step in deterring North Korea’s belligerence because it is difficult to see how North Korea can long continue with such energy trade restrictions.

However, the willingness of the North Korean regime to allow their people to suffer rather than abandon their pursuit of nuclear weapons is infamous. Even Russian President Putin has observed that “They would rather eat grass but will not give up the [nuclear] program.”

As Putin references, most North Koreans live in such dire circumstances that even this ban would mean little to them. What’s an additional 20% hike in gas prices — the result, thus far, of China’s oil sanctions — in a country where very few own cars?

President Trump deserves kudos for masterfully prodding China, and the United Nations, to deliver these stiffer sanctions that — not long ago — many experts could not have predicted.

As the LA Times reports:

“China, in accordance with U.N. sanctions, placed limits on North Korean coal, iron ore and seafood exports earlier this year.”

This is remarkable given that some see North Korea as a Chinese satellite state.

However, there still seems to be a limit on how far China will go in imposing sanctions on Pyongyang.

China has not prevented Kim Jong Un from importing crude oil into his country. Such a move would be very damaging even to the North Korean elites who are largely above whatever suffering these sorts of sanctions may inflict upon the rest of the country.

[Note: This post was written by dk. Find him online at the African American Conservatives (AACONS) website or AACONS on Twitter and Facebook]