Tillerson doubles down as China takes new hard line on North KoreaABC News, Aug 6, 2017, Conor Finnegan ·MANILA, Philippines
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is on the offense at a summit here as he tries to increase the pressure on, and isolation of, North Korea after the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions against the country's rogue regime.
Tillerson is in Manila for an annual summit hosted by Southeast Asian countries collectively known as ASEAN. He’s meeting with regional partners, including Russia and China, just days after North Korea tested its second intercontinental ballistic missile in a month.
The new sanctions were drafted by the U.S. in consultation with China and passed unanimously at the U.N. Saturday. They block North Korean sales of coal, iron and iron ore, lead and lead ore, and seafood. The sanctions also halt any expansion of North Korea’s guest worker programs in other countries.
The revenue from these different sectors, worth as much as $1 trillion annually by U.S. estimates, is believed to fund North Korea’s expensive ballistic missile and nuclear programs. North Korea earns approximately $3 billion per year from exports, according to the U.S. mission to the U.N., meaning the sanctions could block as much as one-third of North Korea’s revenue.
The resolution also prohibits any new joint business ventures with North Koreans and limits existing ones and blacklists 13 new North Korean individuals and entities, including its primary foreign exchange bank.
More ... with video of Tillerson's statement at link:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/tillerson-doubles-china-takes-hard-line-north-korea/story?id=49061519
