North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test last week, coming on the heels of repeated ballistic missile test-launches in recent months, appears to highlight two things — that Pyongyang is making progress in its nuclear and missile programs to a point in which they now present a real threat to regional security, and that repeated condemnations by major powers and tightened economic sanctions have effectively had no impact to stop the provocative acts by Kim Jong Un's regime, which seems bent on winning international recognition as a nuclear power for its own survival.
As expected as in the wake of Pyongyang's previous defiant acts, the United Nations Security Council lashed out against North Korea's fifth nuclear test and said its members would begin talks for appropriate steps, presumably including additional sanctions. Officials of Japan, the United States and South Korea have agreed to seek the "strongest possible" measures to stop Pyongyang's acts. China joined the international chorus of criticism but it's not clear how far Beijing will go along in tightening the sanctions against Pyongyang. China, constantly under pressure to exert its influence to rein in Pyongyang as its sole diplomatic ally, is said to be increasingly frustrated with the behavior of North Korea but is hesitant to endorse actions that could result in regime change. The fact that North Korea fired ballistic missiles just as China was hosting the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou earlier last week raises questions about the extent of Beijing's influence over its ally.
The international community needs to make sure that its sanctions, including ones introduced in March as the toughest ever against North Korea as well as even harsher steps that will likely be discussed in the wake of the latest blast, are indeed without loopholes that would keep enabling Pyongyang to spend resources on its nuclear and missile programs. All the powers with stakes in East Asia should also consider other approaches, including diplomatic contacts, to stop North Korea from continuing to take actions that pose an increasing threat to regional security. The decade since North Korea's first nuclear weapons test in 2006 shows that merely hoping that the isolated and reclusive regime will cave in under the weight of international sanctions won't work.