Russia is not going to stick its neck out for the DPRK, it's a state run by cynical mafiosoes. The only way that the Russian Federation gives a shit about the DPRK historically is simply wanting it to keep existing as a buffer against the US and its proxies for China, which as we have seen the sanctions have not stopped.
The PRC is trying to pick its battles (you will see that in the meetings connected to these, the PRC typically strongly discouraged the measures and called them needlessly escalatory). China almost never vetoes by itself, only vetoing when someone else also does (usually Russia), probably in large part because it tries to maintain a reputation of respecting the agency of other countries and not just crassly abusing its power like the US does, which is part of why it is able to position itself as a peace broker and engage in bilateral agreements with third world nations and so on. At least, this is a charitable reading consistent with what the PRC itself says, there are other readings as well.
I think there is a decent chance of vetoes in the future based on the warming relation between the DPRK and Russia, and I expect China to also veto these sorts of measures if Russia does.
I would have thought that Russia would have vetoed out of spite against the US at least, but maybe these are old enough that they still deluded themselves that they could coexist with the west?
Yeah, though the DPRK is notoriously poor in terms of natural resources. It could also be the PRC flatly throwing the DPRK under the bus for realpolitik reasons (which is still like half true in the more optimistic reading).
Russia is not going to stick its neck out for the DPRK, it's a state run by cynical mafiosoes. The only way that the Russian Federation gives a shit about the DPRK historically is simply wanting it to keep existing as a buffer against the US and its proxies for China, which as we have seen the sanctions have not stopped.
The PRC is trying to pick its battles (you will see that in the meetings connected to these, the PRC typically strongly discouraged the measures and called them needlessly escalatory). China almost never vetoes by itself, only vetoing when someone else also does (usually Russia), probably in large part because it tries to maintain a reputation of respecting the agency of other countries and not just crassly abusing its power like the US does, which is part of why it is able to position itself as a peace broker and engage in bilateral agreements with third world nations and so on. At least, this is a charitable reading consistent with what the PRC itself says, there are other readings as well.
I think there is a decent chance of vetoes in the future based on the warming relation between the DPRK and Russia, and I expect China to also veto these sorts of measures if Russia does.
I would have thought that Russia would have vetoed out of spite against the US at least, but maybe these are old enough that they still deluded themselves that they could coexist with the west?
Having the rest of the world cut North Korea off gives China exclusive access to their markets and resources?
Yeah, though the DPRK is notoriously poor in terms of natural resources. It could also be the PRC flatly throwing the DPRK under the bus for realpolitik reasons (which is still like half true in the more optimistic reading).