US and China agree on North Korea sanctions after nuclear test US and China agree on sanctions to 'punish' North Korea for missile launch New draft resolution expected to be circulated at U.N. meeting today North Korea performed its third nuclear test on February 12 It was made clear by Pyongyang explosion was a warning to the U.S. The U.S. and China have agreed on a new draft sanctions resolution to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test, U.N. diplomats said. The U.N. Security Council announced yesterday that it will hold closed consultations on North Korea and non-proliferation Tuesday morning. The United States is expected to circulate a draft resolution to the full council at this morning's meeting, diplomats said, after which council members are expected to send the draft to their capitals for review. Threat: The U.S. and China have agreed on sanctions on North Korea after the latest nuclear missile test at a base in Punggye-ri, pictured Control: The new draft sanctions by U.S. and China are set to punish North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-Un over the nuclear missile launches All 15 council members approved a press statement condemning Pyongyang's nuclear test and pledging further action hours after North Korea carried out its third atomic blast last month. The swift and unanimous response from the U.N.'s most powerful body set the stage for a fourth round of sanctions against Pyongyang. For the last three weeks, the United States, a close ally of South Korea and Japan, has been negotiating the text of a new resolution with China, the closest ally of North Korea. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, told a news conference Monday that a resolution on North Korea might be approved in March though the text had not yet been circulated. Last month's statement from the Security Council called the underground test in February a "grave violation" of three U.N. resolutions that ban North Korea from conducting nuclear or missile tests. At the time of the successful nuclear test in February, outgoing US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said North Korea represented a "serious threat," adding: "We've got to be prepared to deal with that." Even close ally China was openly critical, while President Barack Obama said the "highly provocative act" threatened international peace. "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community," Mr Obama said in a February statement. On February 12, North Korea announced that in open defiance of the United Nations it had conducted a successful underground test at the Punggye-ri nuclear site in the north-west of the country. Pyongyang made clear that the explosion of the device on February 12 was a warning to the U.S. "The test was conducted in a safe and perfect way on a high level, with the use of a smaller and light A-bomb, unlike the previous ones," North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said. If the US further complicates the situation with continued hostility, we will be left with no choice but to take even stronger second or third rounds of action. The U.N. Security Council imposed sanctions after the first two nuclear tests and after the North's rocket launch in December, which was viewed as part of the country's covert program to develop ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. The sanctions are aimed at trying to derail the country's rogue nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, barring North Korea from testing or using nuclear or ballistic missile technology, and from importing or exporting material for these programs. The latest sanctions resolution, adopted in January, again demanded that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons program and cease missile launches. It slapped sanctions on North Korean companies and government agencies, including its space agency and several individuals. The diplomats said they did not know what new sanctions would be included in the resolution to be circulated Tuesday. There has been speculation that a new resolution will strengthen existing sanctions related to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, toughen financial restrictions and cargo inspections, and add additional companies and individuals to the sanctions list. Off the charts: Neighboring countrie including Japan's Meteorological Agency, pictured, detected the February test due to the seismic activity that caused Targeted: President Obama, pictured last week, called North Korea's February missile launch a 'highly provocative act' North Korea has been steadily enhancing its missile technology for years October 9, 2006: North Korea carries out first nuclear test in Punggye-ri. May 25, 2009: Second under nuclear test is conducted 10-15km away from first test site. Spring 2009: North Korea withdraws from talks with its neighbours and the U.S. over ending its nuclear program and conducts a second nuclear test. September 2010: Kim Jong Il unveils his third son, the twenty-something Kim Jong Un, as his successor, and assigns him to high-ranking positions in the Workers' Party and military. July 27, 2011: Senior North Korean diplomat visits New York to negotiate ways to restart six-nation nuclear disarmament talks. October 24, 2011: U.S. and North Korean diplomats open talks in Geneva on Pyongyang's nuclear program. November 30, 2011: North Korea says it is making rapid progress on work to enrich uranium and build a light-water nuclear power plant, increasing worries that the country is developing another way to make atomic weapons. December 19, 2011: North Korea announces that Kim Jong Il has died of a heart attack while riding on his personal train. South Korea puts its military on alert while people break into tears on the streets of Pyongyang as they learn the news. Kim Jong Un dubbed 'great successor'. December 30, 2011: North Korea warns the world there will be no softening on its position toward South Korea's government. February 23, 2012: Amid cautious optimism, U.S. and North Korean envoys meet in Beijing for their first talks on dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear programs since the death of Kim Jong Il. February 29, 2012: In concurrent announcements, the U.S. and North Korea say they have reached a deal for the U.S. to provide food aid to North Korea in exchange for the North's suspension of uranium enrichment and a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. March 2011: North Korea rebuffs food aid deal by launching a long-range rocket after promising not to. December 2012: The North in violation of U.N. resolutions that banned it from developing missile or nuclear technology. January 30, 2013: South Korea successfully launches it first satellite into space. February 5, 2013: North Korea threatens 'a measure stronger than a nuclear test' in response to UN sanctions.