The United States accused China of flagrantly violating its commitment to apply international sanctions on North Korea, and announced rewards of up to $ 5 million for information on sanctions evasion.

Alex Wong, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for North Korea Affairs, accused China of seeking to "nullify the sanctions regime established by the United Nations with the aim of persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons," threatening to "impose new US sanctions on individuals and entities in China in response to this."

Wong said China was still hosting at least 20,000 North Korean workers, in violation of the UN embargo. Last year, he added, the United States spotted ships transporting coal and other sanctioned goods from North Korea to China on 555 separate occasions.

"China has not acted on any of those occasions to stop these illegal imports," Wong told the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

China says it is committed to UN sanctions on North Korea, but Beijing and Moscow have expressed hope that any easing of those sanctions would help break the deadlock in the nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Wong said that the US State Department has launched a website through which it can provide information on evading sanctions against North Korea for five million dollars.

Source: "Reuters"

By:Nadeemy Haded