China has reportedly agreed to a series of measures at the United Nations to penalize North Korea for its recent nuclear and missile tests.
CNN reported Wednesday night that U.S. and Chinese diplomats had agreed on a draft resolution that will be voted on at the Security Council within days, though details were not immediately available so other council members could weigh in.
“There were a significant number of blockage points between the (United States and China) … but there is an agreement between those two countries,” a Security Council diplomat told CNN.
The resolution is called the toughest yet on North Korea, making it significant that a measure could win the approval of China, which is North Korea only ally and wields a veto on the Security Council.
Since the New Year, North Korea has both tested a hydrogen bomb and launched a satellite using a long-range missile — both actions prohibited under previous U.N. resolutions and sanctions.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un reportedly angered China, with which he doesn’t share the personal closeness his father and grandfather had, by not notifying Beijing of either event beforehand and conducting the hydrogen-bomb test at a site close enough to the Chinese border to cause contamination.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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