China defends its veto of UN Security Council resolution sanctioning North Korea
- It would be ‘irresponsible and derelict of duty for the Security Council to adopt a resolution without principle’, Zhang Jun, China’s UN envoy, says
- Comments come during first session under a new UN requirement that vetoes be subject to General Assembly discussion
China warned of a potential “catastrophe” while forced on Wednesday to defend its veto last month of a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have punished North Korea for its latest intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
The rare UN debate came as officials in Washington, Seoul and the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that Pyongyang might be preparing an imminent nuclear test, which would be the country’s seventh.
“China always engages in the work of the Security Council in a responsible manner,” Zhang Jun, China’s ambassador to the UN, said in a speech that blamed the US for stoking tensions in Asia but did not mention any of North Korea’s numerous recent weapons tests.
“Under the current circumstances, all parties should remain calm,” he said, adding: “It will be precisely irresponsible and derelict of duty for the Security Council to adopt a resolution without principle, which could result in serious consequences and plunge the countries and regions concerned into a catastrophe.”
The public response from Beijing – as well as from Moscow – was the first of its kind at the UN, after a new rule was passed in April requiring an accounting in the General Assembly whenever a permanent member of the Security Council wields its veto.
The rule change came amid criticism at the UN after Russia used its veto power on the council to block a resolution condemning its own invasion of Ukraine. The General Assembly does not have the authority to override a Security Council veto, however.