A United States proposal for new sanctions against North Korea has been vetoed by China and Russia in the UN Security Council. The thirteen other members of the council voted in favor of the American proposal. It is the first time since 2006 that there is no unanimity within the council about sanctions against North Korea.
The Americans want additional sanctions because of the North Korean missile program and the nuclear tests. The US proposal includes restrictions on exports of oil and tobacco to and from North Korea. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is known to be a chain smoker. Sanctions would also be imposed against the hacker group Lazarus, which Washington says has ties to the regime in Pyongyang.
‘Disappointing day’
The vote came more than a day after North Korea three missiles hours after US President Biden’s departure from Asia. One missile would have been an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). North Korea has already fired 17 missiles this year. US Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas-Greenfield said it was a “disappointing day” for the Security Council.
“There is a clear danger to the whole world coming from North Korea,” she says. “The restraint and silence have not eliminated or even reduced the threat.” The Security Council has regularly unanimously imposed sanctions against North Korea for the past 16 years, most recently in 2017. But since then, the attitude of China and Russia has changed.
China, Russia: Sanctions don’t help
According to the Chinese and Russians, the sanctions are not helping. Russia speaks of a “dead end” and according to China punitive measures only lead to escalations. According to the UN ambassador to China, the situation has not improved because of the ‘flip-flop policy’ of the Americans.
China wants Washington to resume talks with North Korea and lift sanctions, but the US believes Pyongyang should not be rewarded for its behavior. Talks between the two sides have been stalled since 2019, after three summits between dictator Kim and then-President Trump.
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