The U.N. Security Council has entered the final stretch in its work on adopting a fresh resolution for sanctions against North Korea's latest nuclear and missile test, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

"The United States and China are believed to be doing the final reviews over the wording of a resolution draft," a government source told Yonhap News Agency.

The U.N. Security Council has been working on a fresh resolution aimed at punishing the North, but progress has been slow mainly because China has been lukewarm about upping the ante on sanctions.

But in what could be a promising sign, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that "the resolution is being evaluated by our teams in both Beijing and Washington," after having talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Washington.

If Washington and Beijing complete their evaluations of the draft, it will be circulated among three other permanent council members and 10 non-permanent members.

If there is no objection from the council members, the resolution would be adopted at a plenary session of the council.

"It seems that the U.N. Security Council has entered the final stage following drawn-out talks (between the U.S. and China) over the issue," another source said. (Yonhap)