China and Russia delayed a U.S. bid to impose U.N. sanctions on five North Koreans on Thursday, diplomats said, a day after Pyongyang suggested it may resume tests of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, APA reports quoting Reuters.
The move by China and Russia came ahead of a closed-door U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea later on Thursday — the second in two weeks — after Pyongyang fired tactical guided missiles on Monday.
It then proposed five of those individuals also be subjected to a U.N. travel ban and asset freeze. The request had to be agreed by consensus by the Security Council’s 15-member North Korea sanctions committee.
China and Russia, however, placed a “hold” on the U.S. proposal on Thursday, which puts it in limbo. China told council colleagues it needed more time to study the sanctions proposal, while Russia said more evidence was needed to back the U.S. request, diplomats said.