US Sends Strong Message to China, Russia Amid North Korea Missile Test: Stop DPRK From "Additional Provocations"

The US imposed new sanctions against entities helping North Korea's missile test and warned China and Russia to refrain from any "provocation," according to Jalina Porter, a spokesperson for the US State Department.

North Korea claimed to have fired a large, new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, a test that its leader, Kim Jong Un, said was intended to display the power of its nuclear arsenal and deter any military actions by the United States. It was the first comprehensive ICBM test by the nuclear-armed country since 2017, Reuters reported.

US Imposes Sanctions on Russia, North Korea Companies

Porter, referring to North Korea by its official name's initials, termed the launch a "brazen" breach of the United Nations Security Council's resolutions. She said she couldn't comment on China's and Russia's possible Security Council positions.

The United Nations was moved by North Korea's most recent ICBM launches in 2017. Sanctions have been imposed by the Security Council, but the US and its allies are at odds with Russia and China over the Ukraine conflict, making such a reaction more difficult.

The Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act gives the US the authority to impose sanctions on foreign individuals, businesses, and governments who participate in proliferation operations.

For transferring sensitive items to North Korea's missile program, the US imposed sanctions on the Russian entities Ardis Group of Companies LLC (Ardis Group), PFK Profpodshipnik, LLC, and Russian individual Igor Aleksandrovich Michurin, as well as the DPRK entity Second Academy of Natural Science Foreign Affairs Bureau (SANS FAB), and DPRK individual Ri Sung Chol (aka Ri Su'ng-ch'o'l).

Sanctions were also levied by the US on Zhengzhou Nanbei Instrument Equipment Co. Ltd, a PRC firm for supplying Syria with chemical and biological weapons nonproliferation equipment managed by the Australia Group.

The imposition of INKSNA sanctions on PRC companies continues to attract attention to PRC businesses' participation in proliferation, as well as the PRC's export control implementation and nonproliferation record. According to NDTV, the sanctions will be in place for two years and will restrict US government purchases, aid, and exports.

North Korea Is Suspected To Fire New Missile Test Soon

According to analysts, North Korea's return of nuclear brinkmanship indicates a desire to solidify its reputation as a nuclear state and extort economic concessions from Washington and others from a position of strength. While the country is experiencing economic challenges, Kim Jong Un may feel compelled to brag about his military achievements and instill internal loyalty, as per AP News.

An alleged hypersonic weapon, a long-range cruise missile, and an intermediate-range missile capable of reaching Guam, a major US military base in the Pacific, were among the other recent tests. After establishing that two previous midrange launches comprised components of the new ICBM, the US and South Korean forces expected a full-range test of the Hwasong-17.

Following a slew of nuclear and ICBM tests in 2017, Kim Jong Un halted them ahead of his first summit with Trump. The negotiations, however, came to an end in 2019 when the US rejected North Korean demands for a large lifting of US-led sanctions in exchange for a limited surrender of the North's nuclear capability.

Three ICBM test flights in 2017 indicated that they could reach the US mainland. The bigger Hwasong-17 might be equipped with numerous warheads in order to overwhelm missile defenses.

North Korea's ruling party made a veiled warning in January, citing US hostility, to terminate Kim Jong Un's ban on ICBM and nuclear testing. The South Korean military also has discovered indicators that North Korea is reopening some of the nuclear-testing tunnels it exploded right before Kim Jong Un met Trump for the first time in 2018. According to some experts, North Korea might restart nuclear testing in the coming months.