A top U.S. diplomat says Washington has received assurances from China that it is tightening up its border with North Korea as part of UN sanctions enforcement.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton told reporters in Beijing China is stepping up customs inspections and beefing up border police presence.

She said the U.S. has seen a “shift in emphasis” in China’s approach to North Korea and that Beijing has also done “a number of other things on companies” that do business with North Korea, but did not give details. 

UN sanctions are aimed at choking off funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile activities, but China has been less than rigorous about enforcing them in the past.

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