The United States will step up pressure on China to ensure that it enforces sanctions against North Korea in the wake of Pyongyang's recent missile launch, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Sunday.
Haley said that while the United States wants to avoid conflict, it is committed to halting North Korea's nuclear drive.
"The fact that they launched an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) test is hugely dangerous not just for us, but for so many of our friends in the world, and we've got to put a stop to it," Haley told CBS television.
"So we're going to fight hard on this. We're going to push hard not just on North Korea, we're going to push hard on other countries who are not abiding by the resolutions and not abiding by the sanctions against North Korea. And we're going to push hard against China because 90 percent of the trade that happens with North Korea is from China, and so while they have been helpful, they need to do more," she added.
China is North Korea's biggest ally and trading partner. So far, China has expressed its condemnation of the recent launch along with other countries, calling it a “flagrant violation” of United Nations resolutions. China has not, however, said anything definitive regarding sanctions.
At an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting on North Korea Wednesday, Haley said a new draft resolution would be circulated among council members “in the coming days.”
Last week, North Korea launched its first known intercontinental ballistic missile, complete with a re-entry vehicle that would allow it to be equipped with a nuclear warhead. U.S. military officials estimate the missile had a range of 5,500 kilometers, potentially putting parts of the northwestern United States within Pyongyang's reach.
