New U.S. sanctions against N. Korea could bite: expert

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- The latest United States sanctions against North Korea could have the intended effect of disrupting its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but only over time, a U.S. expert said Wednesday.

A day earlier, the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions targeting Chinese and Russian entities and individuals suspected of facilitating the North's weapons programs.

Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said that although many argue that sanctions do not work, they are wrong because the earlier measures were mild.

"These new, increasingly comprehensive sanctions, ending North Korea's access to the international financial system and cutting off sources of hard currency, as was done to Iran, have not been tried," he wrote in a contribution to The Hill. "Such actions could lead Pyongyang to rethink its nuclear program.

"The irony is that while Trump has rejected Obama's policy of 'strategic patience,' it will take time, perhaps 12 to 15 months, for these efforts to bear fruit," he added. "Where Obama was largely waiting out Pyongyang and doing little to squeeze them, Trump's pressure tactics could bite, but require that same strategic patience."

Manning noted that no major Chinese banks or companies have been targeted yet.

"This will have no significant impact on China's overall national economy. It is something that President Xi Jinping can live with," he said.

hague@yna.co.kr
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