China expressed today deep regret over a U.S. ruling regarding a Macau bank accused by Washington of money laundering for North Korea. The U.S. Treasury announced Wednesday it had ordered U.S. banks to sever ties with Macau-based Banco Delta Asia after the close of its money laundering investigation. The Treasury said it was poised to help overseas regulators identify the bank's individual account holders at risk of involvement in illicit activities. According to the Associated Press, Washington said those actions could lead to the unfreezing of some of the bank's private accounts as demanded by North Korea as part of a landmark agreement to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for energy aid and political concessions. Washington says are more than US$25 million (¤18.96 million) in North Korean assets in the bank. "The government of China and the government of Macau SAR (special administration region) have expressed their concern on the issue of Banco Delta Asia to the U.S. side many times. We feel deep regret for the ruling by the U.S.," Foreign Minister spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference. Qin would not say specifically China was upset about, but indicated that Beijing believes the ruling could negatively impact both the ongoing international negotiations aimed at disarming North Korea and the stability of the semiautonomous Chinese territory of Macau. -- SPA
