The U.S. Department of State on Tuesday pledged to block North Korea’s access to banking infrastructure at the international level a day after affiliates of  the Chinese HongXiang group were charged with illicit nuclear-related trades with North Korea.

Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel said the U.S. government would shut down any banking activities linked to North Korean Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Programs, at a hearing of Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held in Washington, D.C.

Russel said he agreed with Subcommittee Chairman Matt Salmon that the U.S. should impose financial sanctions on