US, China agree on UN North Korea resolution—diplomats

Secretary of State John Kerry, right, shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016. AP File Photo

UNITED NATIONS, United States—The United States and China have agreed on a draft resolution imposing fresh sanctions on North Korea and the Security Council could vote on the measure in the coming days, diplomats said Wednesday.

The United States circulated the draft text to the other three permanent council members—Britain, France and Russia—on Wednesday and was set to formally present it to the full 15-member council soon, said the diplomats, who asked not to be named.

“There is good progress on the resolution and we are hopeful that there will be an adoption in the coming days,” a council diplomat said.

READ: China, US make ‘progress’ on UN North Korea resolution

Negotiations on the draft resolution began six weeks ago after North Korea carried out its fourth nuclear test on January 6 and claimed it was a thermonuclear device.

“There were a significant number of blockage points between these two countries,” said the diplomat referring to the United States and China.

READ: Top diplomats meet at fraught time between US, China

“But there is agreement between these two countries,” he added.

After talks in Washington on Tuesday with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, US Secretary of State John Kerry said “there is no question that if the resolution is approved, it will go beyond anything that we have previously passed.”