The United States has denounced members of the United Nations Security Council for what it considers an attempt to protect North Korea from public scrutiny.
“Some council members are all too willing to shield the regime from accountability,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, said at a meeting of the council on Friday.
Earlier, China had moved to block a live online broadcast of an informal Security Council meeting in which North Korea’s alleged human rights abuses were expected to be discussed.
Each of the Security Council’s 15 members has to agree before informal discussions are broadcast live. But China — North Korea’s most important ally in the region — issued a rare objection, though the public could still attend the meeting in person.
That prompted a rebuke from the US mission to the UN, which has previously clashed with China and Russia, another Security Council member, over discussions about human rights.
“We will continue to speak out…
2023-03-17 15:54:28
Article from www.aljazeera.com
China Criticized by US for Trying to Protect North Korea at UN Meeting
The United States has publicly criticized China for its efforts to protect North Korea from UN sanctions. Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting held last month, the US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, criticized Beijing for providing a “shield” to North Korea in the face of international efforts to impose sanctions on the rogue state.
The US has been leading the push for tougher sanctions on North Korea in response to its ongoing nuclear and missile tests. However, China, as North Korea’s largest trading partner and ally, has been reluctant to support these efforts. While China has agreed to some sanctions in the past, it has also been accused of violating them by continuing to trade with North Korea.
Ambassador Haley accused China of “shielding” North Korea from the full impact of sanctions, by limiting the amount of oil and other goods that it exports to the country. She also criticized China for failing to prevent illegal North Korean activity, such as illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil.
The US has repeatedly called on China to do more to pressure North Korea into abandoning its nuclear and missile programs. However, China has argued that sanctions alone are not enough to resolve the crisis and that diplomatic efforts are needed to bring the parties to the negotiating table.
China has also criticized the US for its deployment of a missile defense system in South Korea which it sees as a threat to its national security. This has led to a deterioration in relations between the two countries, with both sides accusing each other of being a destabilizing force in the region.
The escalating tensions between the US and China over North Korea have raised concerns about the potential for a military conflict in the region. The US has said that all options, including military action, are on the table if North Korea continues to pose a threat to its neighbors and the international community.
In conclusion, the US and China remain at odds over their approaches to dealing with North Korea. While the US continues to push for tough sanctions and possible military action, China favors diplomatic efforts and a more cautious approach. As tensions continue to rise, it remains to be seen how the situation will be resolved and what impact it will have on the broader US-China relationship.