The Hankyoreh: Chinese Support of Sanctions Suggests Increasing Concern Over NK Nuclear Program

The United States views China’s support for North Korea as key to ending the rogue nation’s nuclear-weapons program. After the North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test, the UN Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions. China accounts for the bulk of trade with North Korea. The sanctions boost enforcement and toughen restrictions on North Korea's oil imports, textile exports, and labor supply to Russia and China. The US compromised by agreeing to oil-import caps rather than a ban, but otherwise applied intense pressure on China as the US president continues to threaten a military response. “More and more people are concluding that if the US does pursue ‘action’ in response to Pyongyang overstepping its bounds, North Korea could end up the gateway for a clash rather than China’s bulwark against US influence,” explains Kim Oi-hyun for the Hankyoreh. The key may be convincing China that region-wide stability is essential for domestic stability, suggest analysts who call for Chinese cooperation with the United States and South Korea. – YaleGlobal