The United States and China on Thursday came to an agreement and submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council that suggests imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea. The move comes after the reclusive country created international outrage by testing a long-range missile last month and claiming to conduct a hydrogen bomb test in January. The council will vote on the resolution over the weekend. If it passes, these will be the strongest sanctions imposed on any country in the last 20 years, the US said.
The sanctions include a provision in which all UN member states can inspect cargo to and from North Korea. They resolution also provides that any suspicious ship from the country can barred from international ports, and that there will be an embargo on the supply of arms as well as aviation and rocket fuel to the country.
While China and North Korea have historically been allies, the relationship between them has been weakening, especially over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. China had originally suggested more dialogues and milder sanctions. However, on Tuesday China and the United States said they were reaching an agreement on the draft sanctions, Reuters reported.
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