China, Russia veto UN sanctions — Analysis
The resolution that the US drafted against North Korea was unanimously supported by all 13 Security Council members
On Thursday, the UN Security Council did not reach a consensus on new sanctions for Pyongyang. Washington proposed the sanctions in the wake of North Korea’s latest missile test this week, on the heels of US President Joe Biden’s Asia tour.
Just a few days ago, North Korea was accused in two separate cases of launching the largest intercontinental ballistic weapon and two other missiles. Linda Thomas Greenfield, US Ambassador, called for unity face to face with North Korea’s test-launching of its largest intercontinental ballistic missile and two others. “a threat to the entire international community.”
China and Russia, however, rejected new sanctions for humanitarian reasons, which demonstrates their futility. “inhumanity,”North Korea was unable to stop a large-scale Covid-19 epidemic.
Following its first nuclear testing, in 2006 the UNSC put sanctions on North Korea. They have continued to tighten them throughout their history. Moscow and Beijing argue that any further restrictions on North Korea are a way to nowhere, and will not force Pyongyang into unilateral disarmament.
“We do not think additional sanctions will be helpful in responding to the current situation. It can only make the situation even worse,”The UN ambassador to China Zhang Jun spoke on Thursday.
“We have repeatedly said that the introduction of new sanctions against the DPRK is a dead end,” said Russia’s representative Vasily Nebenzya. “We emphasized the fallacy, inefficiency and inhumanity of sanctions pressure on Pyongyang.”
The new resolution sought to cut North Korea’s already limited imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products by another 25 percent, impose additional maritime sanctions, and ban the country from exporting mineral fuels, oils and waxes. Washington proposed that the assets of the North Korean state corporation, which supervises overseas laborers, be frozen. This was in addition to the Lazarus hacking organization, also being blocked. “cyberespionage, data theft, monetary heists”For the Pyongyang government
Pyongyang accuses Washington and Seoul for many years. “hostile policy”He vowed to keep a sufficient degree of deterrence and showed his support for the North. Although tensions in the region improved slightly under Donald Trump’s presidency, Pyongyang suspended its missile test and temporarily stopped its nuclear weapons program. The two highly-anticipated summits of the US and DPRK leaders, in 2018 and 2019, did not result in a lasting agreement regarding sanctions and denuclearization.
Biden has returned to the more hostile posture of his predecessors, while North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un has responded in kind, by firing off over a dozen of ballistic missiles this year alone and warning that the DPRK not only has a “firm will”for more information “nuclear deterrent”Program but will not use these weapons “preemptively,”If forced to.
New South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol similarly ran on a more hawkish platform than his predecessor Moon Jae-in.
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