The United States and China have disagreed with the United Nations over North Korea’s nuclear tests

The United States and China disagreed on Wednesday at the United Nations Security Council on how to reduce tensions with North Korea. Although Washington has called for more sanctions against Pyongyang, Beijing wants to ease them.

An emergency meeting of the council was held following fears that North Korea would resume its nuclear tests in the coming weeks.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, “It is time to stop the idea of ​​silent permission and start working.” “We need to move quickly towards tightening them, rather than easing the barriers.”

Linda rejected a draft resolution by China and Russia (council members with veto power similar to the US) aimed at easing sanctions imposed in 2017. Instead, the ambassador said, they were on the verge of concluding separate talks. American text updating barriers.

“We can not wait until North Korea commits such provocative, illegal and dangerous acts as nuclear tests. We must speak up,” the ambassador stressed.

Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun called for restraint, saying the growing potential was worrying. He said tough sanctions in the context of distrust “would not be constructive”. “China wants to avoid a new nuclear test,” the AFP said after the meeting.

“Speak better than coercive measures. We have seen many coercive actions around the world, in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Have you seen good results? We have only seen humanitarian suffering,” Zhang said.

Russian Ambassador Anna Yevstikneva also supported the resolution he proposed with China and called for the resumption of talks.

Pyongyang has increased the number of missiles dramatically, with a dozen weapons tests since January, including the launch of the long-range intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since 2017.

Today’s the Security Council meeting took place a day after the inauguration of the new President of South Korea, Eun Suk-yol, who promised to act harshly in Pyongyang.