China and Russia are pushing for an easing of international sanctions against North Korea, according to a draft UN Security Council resolution seen by dpa.
The two countries want to "improve the quality of life of the civilian population in North Korea" by lifting trade restrictions on agricultural products, seafood, textiles and oil products, according to the draft, which also calls for a ban on North Koreans working abroad to be scrapped.
There is little chance the Security Council will approve the draft, however. Tensions between North Korea and the US and other western countries remain high.
The North Korean leadership's resumption of regular missile tests in the past several months has raised concerns in the international community. Analysts confirm that Pyongyang has recently refocused its energies on militarization.
UN resolutions prohibit North Korea from testing ballistic missiles. Depending on their design, such missiles can carry nuclear warheads. Pyongyang is also subject to strict international sanctions for its ongoing nuclear weapons programme.
Nevertheless, Pyongyang's defiant testing has so far this year included a hypersonic missile, which, it claims, is difficult to intercept due to its high speed.
Negotiations between North Korea and the US have not made any progress since Kim Jong Un's failed summit with then-US president Donald Trump in Vietnam in February 2019.
Source: DPA
