MANILA: The United States and China piled new pressure on North Korea Sunday to abandon its nuclear missile program after the UN Security Council approved tough new sanctions which could cost Pyongyang $1 billion a year.
One day after Council members voted unanimously for a partial ban on exports aimed at slashing Pyongyang’s foreign revenue by a third, top diplomats from the key powers in the dispute met in Manila.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he was encouraged by the vote, but officials warned that Washington would closely watch China -- North Korea’s biggest trade partner -- to ensure sanctions are enforced.
Saturday’s UN resolution banned exports of coal, iron and iron ore, lead and lead ore as well as fish and seafood by the cash-starved state.
If fully implemented it would strip North Korea of a third of its export earnings -- estimated to total $3 billion per year despite successive rounds of sanctions since the North’s first nuclear test in 2006.
The Philippines, this year’s chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), backed the UN decision to impose tougher sanctions against North Korea.
“The Philippines has been consistent in its support for the various UN Security Council resolutions,” said Foreign Affairs Secretary Robespierre Bolivar.
Foreign ministers of Asean member states released a statement urging Pyongyang to stop its nuclear program and comply immediately and fully with its obligations under relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Diplomats of the regional bloc voiced their grave concerns over the escalation of tensions in the Korean peninsula caused in part by Pyongyang’s recent missile tests.
“These developments seriously threaten peace, security and stability in the region and the world. In this regard, we strongly urge the DPRK (North Korea) to immediately comply fully with its obligations under all relevant UN Security Council Resolutions,” the foreign ministers said in a statement.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will be attending the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial meeting Monday that will also be attended by US Secretary of States Rex Tillerson.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Ri held bilateral talks on Sunday.
JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA