Test raises pressure on China
UNITED NATIONS: The United States has vowed to use military force to defend itself and its allies against a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile if necessary, but says it prefers to use its clout in international trade to address the growing threat.
In a hard-hitting speech at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council yesterday, following Pyongyang’s successful launch of an ICBM, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said ‘‘the world has become a more dangerous place’', and that China had a key role in promoting peace.
China is responsible for 90 per cent of trade with North Korea. Haley warned that Beijing risked its massive trade with the US if its business dealings with Pyongyang violated UN sanctions.
She said the US did not seek conflict, but the launch of an ICBM was ‘‘a clear and sharp military escalation’', and the US was prepared to use its ‘‘considerable military forces’' to defend itself and its allies ‘‘if we must’'.
Haley said the Trump administration preferred ‘‘not to go in that direction’', but rather to use its ‘‘great capabilities in the area of trade’' to address ‘‘those who threaten us and ... those who supply the threats’'.
Until recently, American officials had been describing China as a partner in their strategy to prevent North Korea from developing the ability to strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons. But US President Donald Trump has expressed growing irritation at Beijing’s reluctance to tighten the screw on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programmes.
‘‘There are countries that are allowing, even encouraging trade with North Korea, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions,’' Haley said. ‘‘Such countries would also like to continue their trade arrangements with the United States. That’s not going to happen.‘’
Haley said seven UN sanctions resolutions had not resulted in North Korea changing its ‘‘destructive course’’, and that much of the burden of enforcing the resolutions rested with China because of its overwhelming trade with its neighbour.
She said the US would put forward a new security council resolution in the coming days. She gave no details but said that if the council was united, the international community could cut off major sources of hard currency to North Korea, restrict oil to its military and weapons programmes, increase air and maritime restrictions, and hold senior officials accountable.
``If we act together we can still prevent a catastrophe,’' Haley said. ``We can rid the world of a great threat. If we fail to act in a serious way there will be a different response.’'
China and Russia – whose presidents met in Moscow yesterday and will be attending the G20 summit with Trump in Hamburg, Germany later this week, where North Korea is certain to be a key issue – proposed a plan for defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which their ambassadors reiterated to the council.
The plan includes a North Korean moratorium on nuclear and missile tests while the US and South Korea refrain from largescale military exercises, as well as a road map to peace and denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
China’s UN ambassador, Liu Jieyi, did not respond to Haley and made no mention of US-China trade. Instead, he strongly urged North Korea to stop ‘‘any rhetoric and action that might further exacerbate the tension of the Korean Peninsula’'.
‘‘China is firmly opposed to chaos and confrontation on the peninsula. Military means must not be an option in this regard.’'
Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said that ‘‘any attempts to justify a military solution are inadmissible’' and would lead to ‘‘unpredictable consequences for the region’'.
‘‘Attempts to economically strangle North Korea are equally unacceptable, as millions of people are in great humanitarian need,’' Safronkov said.
He also signalled that the US was likely to have a tough time getting security council approval for a new sanctions resolution.
‘‘All must acknowledge that sanctions will not resolve the issue,’' Safronkov said. ‘‘In that manner, we simply rush towards a stalemate.’' He said the international community needed to take into account North Korea’s concerns for security.
Haley asked for the floor at the end of the debate and retorted: ‘‘If you are happy with North Korea’s actions, veto it. If you see this for what it is, which is North Korea showing its muscle, then you need to stand strong and vote with the international community to strengthen sanctions.’’