07 August, 2017
The proposed new sanctions follow North Korea's first successful tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States on July 3 and July 27.
China fears a spread of US influence in the region, though China and the USA agree on wanting to stop North Korea's nuclear development.
"China has always insisted on realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, upholding peace and stability on the peninsula", China's UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi said.
U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the vote in a Twitter message on Saturday evening.
It would also tighten trade restrictions on technology to prevent North Korea from acquiring items that could be used for its military programs. When Tillerson announced it at the United Nations in April, he asked countries to fully implement United Nations sanctions against North Korea, suspend or downgrade diplomatic relations with the country, and increase it's financial isolation. During the Korean War, it fought withNorth Korean leader Kim Il Sung's troops, and today is Pyongyang's largest economic link to the rest of the world.
The Security Council has already imposed six rounds of sanctions that have failed to halt North Korea's drive to improve its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons capabilities.
She said: "This is the most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation".
Whether Trump's badgering played any role in China's support for the resolution is unclear.
Under the draft, countries would be unable to hire any new North Korean workers.
"To have China stand with us, along with Japan and (South Korea) and the rest of the global community telling North Korea to do this, it's pretty impactful", the United Nations ambassador told CNN in an interview after the vote. China, North Korea's biggest customer by far, signed on. So it's unclear exactly which levers it is or isn't pulling with Pyongyang.
Two resolutions adopted past year however have introduced economic sanctions with more bite.
Would Tillerson interact with his North Korean counterpart, even informally, if they crossed paths in Manila? For instance, this year's U.S. -ASEAN Ministerial carries special significance since it is the 50th anniversary of U.S. -ASEAN relations. From China's perspective, Chinese businesses are hurt more by these sanctions than those of other countries because of the level of trade between the two countries.
Wang also urged the US and South Korea "to stop increasing tensions" and said that all sides should return to negotiations. Not only have there been loopholes in the past that traders and businesses have exploited, but implementation and enforcement of sanctions have been spotty.
Why hasn't China done more?
China and Russian Federation, usually the most resistant to US efforts to isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically, criticised Washington and Seoul for their deployment of a US Navy missile defense system in South Korea, even as they cast votes in support of the new resolution.
Haley told the Security Council that U.S. So it's not motivated to keep increasing sanctions.
While China doesn't condone North Korea seeking security through nuclear weapons, it does see it as understandable.
The sanctions, which target North Korea's foreign currency earnings, ban its exports of coal, coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood. "It is also China". That means asking countries to "enforce the UN Security Council resolutions" and "to drastically reduce their interactions with Pyongyang". It called for Pyongyang suspending nuclear and missile tests, while Washington stops major joint military exercises in the region.
What next for United States and South Korea, as China stands by nuclear-armed Kim Jong-un? "North Korea should forgo the path of provocation, forgo the path of further escalation". We've outlined the general baskets of USA options previously.
The effectiveness of the new measures will be mostly down to whether Bejing cooperates. Long-brewing tensions over China's claims to islands in the South China Sea continue. China has always been North Korea's largest trading partner and, possibly its only ally providing it cover in times of global outrage caused by its nuclear and missile tests. "Unless the USA fundamentally eradicates anti-[North Korea] policies and nuclear threats", said a Monday editorial from the state-run Rodong Shinmun, "we will never put our nuclear weapons and ballistic rockets on the negotiation table".
