The UN Security Council will vote on a US proposal to toughen sanctions on North Korea over a series of recent ballistic missile shots, but China has a veto in the council and Beijing has said the punishment will not solve any problem. Al Jazeera reported.
Thursday’s vote comes a day after Pyongyang launched three missiles, including its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the latest in a series of ballistic missile launches banned from the country.
Security Council Resolution 2397, adopted unanimously in 2017, addressed further consequences in the event of another ICBM launch.
“This was one of the provisions of the resolution. This is exactly what has been described, so we feel it is time to take action,” a senior US official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.
A US official told Reuters that the draft resolution “would further limit North Korea’s ability to develop its illicit weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile program, simplify the implementation of sanctions, and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.”