The Group of Seven (G-7) nations, the European Union and three other countries have called on China to remove oil tankers from its waters that appear to be supplying fuel to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions, reports Agence France-Presse.

In a letter to China's UN envoy Zhang Jun, the ambassadors expressed concern over tankers using Sansha Bay in Fujian province as refuge while facilitating trade of sanctioned petroleum products to the DPRK. They offered satellite imagery showing the activity continued in 2022 and 2023.

The signatories include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain, the United States, the EU, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. They urged China to inspect the vessels, deny them services and expel them promptly.

The tankers' presence was observed by the UN group monitoring North Korea sanctions. The DPRK has been under UN sanctions since 2006, with additional restrictions in 2017 limiting crude oil imports.

The UN Security Council has failed to adopt new resolutions since May 2022, when China and Russia vetoed further sanctions despite continued missile launches by North Korea.

On Friday, North Korea fired several cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff. The US has accused Beijing and Moscow of shielding Pyongyang and blocking unified Council action.

The letter said it was vital for the international community, including China, to send a unified message urging North Korea to cease provocations and comply with UN obligations to achieve full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.