China to Block UN Report on North Korean Nuclear Capability

A Chinese expert was part of a team that prepared a report for the UN Security Council on North Korea violating sanctions, according to a Reuters article, yet China plans to block the report. The team expressed concerns that the impoverished nation may transfer technology – obtained illegally from Pakistan – to other secretive regimes. “North Korea almost certainly has several more undisclosed enrichment-related facilities and … its uranium enrichment programme and development of a light-water reactor are serious violations of UN sanctions,” notes the report, as described by Reuters. The report relies on a US nuclear scientist who claims to have witnessed centrifuges used to enrich uranium. “Diplomats say it is emblematic of China's increasingly self-confident approach to international diplomacy as it seeks to protect states like North Korea to which it has close ties,” the article notes. If China has control over North Korea’s isolated but defiant decision makers, they could insist on inspecting the facilities. Until then, China’s trust in North Korea is a huge gamble. – YaleGlobal