The United States has called for a vote on a 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 neighbour 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 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 tells The Associated Press the US demand is "an indicator of how the administration thinks time has run out."
