United Nations imposes tough new sanctions on North Korea

China’s territorial disputes in the strategic and potentially oil- and gas-rich waterway with five other governments intensified after it built islands in disputed waters and reportedly started to install a missile defense system on them, alarming rival claimant states, the USA and other Western governments.

The White House issued a statement to CBS News saying in part that the two leaders are “committed” to the sanctions and urge the global community to follow suit.

China and ASEAN foreign ministers approved a framework code in Manila Sunday.

The two-pronged effort focuses on China, the source of 90 percent of Pyongyang’s trade, but also on nations around the world that use North Korea’s workers, host its consulates and companies, buy its military equipment and allow its planes to transit or land on their territory.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment for this story.

The ARF, launched in 1994, is a rare multilateral diplomatic stage to which North Korea also sends its foreign minister annually.

China claims nearly the entire sea, which includes one of the world’s most busy trade routes and sits stop valuable oil and gas reserves.

Other claimants to the sea are the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

“We recognised the benefits that would be gained from having the South China Sea as a sea of peace, stability and prosperity”, it added.

Less than a week after Philippines president insulted his North Korean counterpart for conducting missile tests, he welcomed its foreign minister to an worldwide meeting in capital Manila on Tuesday.

“Relations between China and Singapore have experienced ups and downs”.

Wang said there are two major components in the resolution – one is sanctions and the other is to call for the resumption of the six-party talks.

“For Japan to be competitive, it needs to deepen its relationship with the United States, while at the same time reaching out to regional partners” including India, Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, and Indonesia, he added. This year, Pyongyang was estimated to earn $251 million from iron and iron ore exports, $113 million from lead and lead ore exports, and $295 million from fish and seafood exports, the diplomat said.

Eugene Tan, an associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University, said there could be differences between the countries once Singapore takes over the Asean chairmanship.

Although it’s not an ASEAN member, China can exert its influence on allies like Cambodia to reject any move it deems inimical to its interest.

Asked about what diplomatic achievement the Seoul government has made at this year’s ASEAN meetings, Kang said she could draw clear support from many countries for the so-called Berlin initiative announced in July by President Moon Jae-in to address the North’s nuclear issue through both pressure and talks.

Japan had earlier criticised China’s military build-up and reclamation work on islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea.

The framework that serves as a basis for talks shuns specifics that might alarm China and instead covers broad advice about avoiding incidents between vessels or aircraft, said Collin Koh, maritime security research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Ri also said the North “is ready to teach the US a severe lesson with its nuclear strategic force… should the USA pounce upon [North Korea] with military force at last”.