China, Russia veto US led push for more UN sanctions on North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches

Kathmandu: China and Russia vetoed yesterday a U.S.- led push to impose more United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches. According to media reports, the remaining 13 council members voted in favor of the U.S. drafted resolution that proposed banning tobacco and oil exports to North Korea.

The vote came a day after North Korea fired three missiles, including one thought to be its largest inter-continental ballistic missile, following US President Joe Biden’s trip to Asia.

Citing the council’s silence on North Korea, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, it is time to stop providing tacit permission and to start taking action. However, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that he did not believe UN action would be very conducive to engagement with North Korea.

China has also been urging the United States to take action to entice Pyongyang to resume talks that have been stalled since 2019.

Over the past 16 years, the Security Council has steadily and unanimously, stepped up sanctions to cut off funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmed. It last tightened sanctions on Pyongyang in 2017.