US calls for Monday vote on new North Korea sanctions

A woman walks away from the Quanhe border crossing between China and North Korea in Yanbian in northeastern China’s Jilin province, Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. South Korea is closely watching North Korea over the possibility it may launch another intercontinental ballistic missile as soon as Saturday when it celebrates its founding anniversary. (AP Photo)

UNITED NATIONS — The United States (US) has called for a vote on Monday on a United Nations (UN) resolution that would impose the toughest-ever sanctions on North Korea and could lead to a showdown with the country’s biggest trading partner China and its neighbor Russia.

The Trump administration dropped the one-on-one US negotiations with China to hammer out a resolution that took weeks and was a hallmark of all previous sanctions measures. For this resolution, a totally American draft was circulated on Tuesday with a vote set six days later.

Several diplomats say the US demand for a speedy council vote is aimed at putting maximum pressure on China.

Professor Joseph DeThomas, of Pennsylvania State University, told The Associated Press that the US demand is “an indicator of how the administration thinks time has run out.” KGA