Doubts over new ‘compromise’ UN sanctions on North Korea as China emerges unscathed
Resolution fails to land big blow by stopping short of oil embargo on Pyongyang and penalties for Chinese firms that aid North Korea, observers say
Beijing scored diplomatic points with its endorsement of tougher United Nations sanctions against North Korea, avoiding a showdown with Washington over Pyongyang’s repeated nuclear provocations.
But the UN Security Council resolution was unlikely to bring the unruly Kim Jong-un regime back into line given the glaring compromises that left China largely unscathed, observers said.
Chinese state media and foreign ministry officials added to doubts about the effectiveness of the resolution passed on Saturday, saying sanctions were not the only way to solve the problem and livelihood of the North Korea people should not be destroyed.
In contrast, top diplomats from major powers hailed the resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member council as a key step towards halting Pyongyang’s nuclear brinkmanship.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday that the new US-proposed resolution, which could cut off about one-third of North Korea’s roughly US$3 billion in annual exports, showed that world powers were united behind a push for a denuclearised Korean peninsula.