BEIJING (Yonhap) -- China's foreign ministry said Wednesday that it has been working to ensure a full implementation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs, a day after the country decided to ban exports of more goods that could be used for military purposes by Pyongyang.

In line with the latest U.N. resolution to punish North Korea for conducting its fourth nuclear test in January this year, China's commerce ministry announced the decision on Tuesday evening, adding about 40 so-called "dual-use" products to the list of banned export items to North Korea.

The new items that cannot be shipped to North Korea included magnetic materials, chemical fibers and welding equipment.

China had announced the list of such items in 2013, when North Korea was hit by another U.N. resolution following its third nuclear test. Still, Beijing declines to unveil the full list of exports of "dual-use" materials to North Korea.

"As a responsible country of the U.N. Security Council, we have been fully and earnestly following all resolutions of the Security Council," China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters.

Lu described the Tuesday announcement by China's foreign ministry as an "update" to its current banned item list.

When asked whether China would add more items to the list in the future, Lu referred the question to the Chinese commerce ministry.

China, North Korea's economic and diplomatic lifeline, voted in favor of the latest U.N. sanctions following the North's fourth nuclear test in January and launch of a long-range rocket the following month.

Still, many analysts believe that China is unlikely to impose crippling sanctions on North Korea as it fears that pushing Pyongyang too hard could lead to its collapse, instability on its border and the ultimate emergence of a pro-U.S. nation.