Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson on Wednesday called for the United States to “compel” China to implement international sanctions on North Korea.
“If China is not going to comply with those UN sanctions, then it’s appropriate for the United States to consider actions to compel them to comply,” Tillerson said during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing.
Chinese willingness to implement sanctions on North Korea, a rogue regime with a nuclear weapons program, has long been a point of contention for international negotiators. With the support of the Chinese government, the United Nations recently imposed a new round of sanctions on North Korea, following a spate of weapons tests.
But the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement following that sanctions vote that seemed to imply they perceived a loophole in the sanctions package. “Resolution 2321 formulates new measures, showing the resolve of the Security Council, and also points out they must avoid creating adverse consequences for North Korean civilian and humanitarian needs, and are not intended to create negative effects on normal trade,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in December.
