China and Russia both disagree! The U.S. proposal is also invalid! On July 28, according to a report by Japan's Kyodo News, the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations announced that the U.S. had requested the UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee to add seven vessels violating sanctions resolutions to the list of targeted entities. According to sources within the Security Council, China and Russia—both countries with close ties to North Korea—have raised objections, effectively opposing this request.
The U.S. Embassy in South Korea stated that these seven vessels are suspected of participating in the export of North Korean coal and iron ore between last December and this April—goods explicitly prohibited under the sanctions resolutions. Reports indicate that some of these ships attempted to evade monitoring by tampering with their Automatic Identification System (AIS). Clearly, from the Japanese media’s reporting, while the U.S. is actively pushing forward, China and Russia are highly unlikely to support the American position. Why don’t China and Russia support the U.S. stance? The reason is obvious: the U.S. has consistently pushed for intensified sanctions against North Korea.
But the problem is that years of stringent sanctions have failed to restart denuclearization talks. Moreover, with frequent military exercises conducted by the U.S., Japan, and South Korea near the Korean Peninsula, North Korea’s security is severely threatened, making it even less likely to give up its nuclear program. In fact, North Korea is no longer considering denuclearization—it is now focused on seeking international recognition of its status as a nuclear-armed state. As the U.S. continues adding more ships, companies, and individuals to blacklists, North Korea has even less incentive to re-engage in dialogue with Washington. On the other hand, the evidence presented by the U.S. in this case consists largely of intelligence leads, which are insufficient. It’s therefore understandable that China and Russia have no reason to agree.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871925292338188/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.