The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution significantly expanding international sanctions against North Korea. The new measures amount to some of the toughest against North Korea in two decades. The vote is in response to North Korea’s nuclear test last month. The sanctions will result in all cargo going to and from the country being inspected, while 16 new individuals and 12 organisations have been blacklisted.

In addition to the mandatory cargo inspections the sanctions also include a ban on all sales or transfers of small arms and light weapons to North Korea, and expulsion of diplomats from the North who engage in “illicit activities”.

The US, its Western allies and Japan were eager for the new sanctions to be speedily put in place, and pushed for them to be as wide-ranging as possible. But China made clear that it did not want to impose measures that could jeopardise the stability of North Korea and cause its economy to collapse.

North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket in February and a nuclear test in January were widely condemned as a flagrant violation of UN resolutions. The North insists its missile programme is purely scientific in nature, but the US, South Korea and even its ally China say such rocket launches are aimed at developing inter-continental ballistic missiles.