The international community Thursday welcomed the passage of a new U.N. Security Council resolution against North Korea, vowing thorough implementation to bridle the reclusive state’s nuclear ambitions with the toughest sanctions yet.

U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the latest U.N. sanctions on North Korea as “a firm, united and appropriate response by the international community” to provocations by the communist regime.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously passed the sanctions resolution, significantly tightening the screws on the North, which sparked global outrage with its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6 and its rocket launch on Feb. 7 in violation of U.N. bans.

“This resolution levies strong new sanctions aimed at halting Pyongyang‘s efforts to advance its weapons of mass destruction programs,” Obama said in a statement.

“Today, the international community, speaking with one voice, has sent Pyongyang a simple message: North Korea must abandon these dangerous programs and choose a better path for its people,” he added.

The new sanctions, the toughest ever to be imposed on Pyongyang, require mandatory inspection of all cargo going in and out of the North by land, sea or air. They also ban its exports of coal, iron and other mineral resources, a key source of hard currency that accounts for nearly half of the country’s total exports.

Simultaneously on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury and State departments sanctioned a dozen individuals and five organizations tied to North Korea’s nuclear and weapons proliferation efforts.

The U.S. action freezes all assets that those targeted have within U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits Americans from engaging in transactions with them.

China also recognized the significance of the new resolution, saying the new U.N. sanctions would make North Korea pay the “necessary price” for its latest nuclear test and rocket launch. China’s cooperation is key to the effective implementation of the measures.

Beijing, however, also urged constraint among the key players.

“We hope that relevant parties can keep calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may escalate tensions,” China‘s foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

Hong said the new U.N. resolution could be “fully and earnestly” implemented, but it should not affect the “normal lives” of the North Korean people.

China‘s official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary that the latest U.N. sanctions are “seen as a necessary price Pyongyang has to pay for its recent nuclear test and satellite launch.”

But the Xinhua commentary also repeated a recent proposal by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that links all related parties agreeing to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War and reaching a settlement on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Chinese proposal echoed a long-standing demand by North Korea.

“The proposal is regarded as a reasonable, responsible and feasible one. The efforts in this regard, which serve the interest of all the parties concerned, should be taken as a shared responsibility and a goal that all parties work for,” the commentary said.

The European Union and other major European countries also welcomed the new U.N. sanctions.

“The EU will swiftly transpose this resolution into EU law and will consider whether additional autonomous restrictive measures are called for to complement this resolution,” EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the unanimous adoption “demonstrates that the international community is prepared to take tough measures in response to such violations.”

Germany’s Foreign Ministry also issued a statement welcoming the resolution, saying it sent “an important signal to those in power in Pyongyang following the unacceptable provocations, the conduction of a nuclear test and the launch of a rocket using ballistic technology.”

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon joined in on the response, saying it sent a clear message the communist nation should comply with its denuclearization obligations.

“Today’s unanimous action by the Security Council has sent a clear message that the DPRK (North Korea) must return to full compliance with its international obligations. The secretary-general urges the DPRK to abide by the resolution and calls upon all member states to ensure its implementation,” it said.

From news reports