China steps up inspections of North Korean-bound cargo

BEIJING (AP) - China is trying to punish ally North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests, stepping up inspections of North Korean-bound cargo in a calibrated effort to send a message of Chinese pique without further provoking a testy Pyongyang government.

Freight handlers and trading companies at ports and cities near the North Korean border complain of more rigorous inspections and surprise checks that are raising the costs of doing business with an often unpredictable North Korea.

Machinery, luxury goods and daily necessities such as rice and cooking oil are among the targeted products, the companies said, and business is suffering.

"Some business orders we don't dare take. We don't dare do that business because we fear that after the orders are taken, we will end up unable to ship them," said a Mr Hu, an executive with Dalian Fast International Logistics in the north-eastern port city of Dalian, across the Yellow Sea from the North Korean port of Nampo.