US and China make key ‘progress’ over UN sanctions on North Korea

The US and China have agreed on key points related to punishing North Korea over its defiant nuclear test and rocket launch during the Beijing Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s ongoing visit to Washington. The consensus between the two veto-wielding powers is an indication that fresh UN-led sanctions on Pyongyang would be introduced in the coming days.

 

Following his talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Wang told reporters that the specifics of the sanctions are still being “evaluated”. Beijing has long been arguing that further clampdown on Pyongyang would cripple the North Korean economy.
“Important progress has been made in the consultations and we are looking at the possibility of reaching agreement on a draft resolution and passing it in the near future,” Wang told reporters. The talks between the diplomats were dominated by North Korea and the tensions in the South China Sea.

 

“We do not accept the DPRK’s [official name of North Korea] nuclear missile programme and we do not recognise the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state. Important progress has been made in the consultations and we are looking at the possibility of reaching agreement on a draft resolution and passing it in the near future.”

 

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