The United States has been firm on the need to continue implementing sanctions on North Korea to get it to denuclearize.
Washington is clear about what it expects from China, but a bipartisan Congressional panel has concluded that Beijing is NOT doing enough to keep maximum pressure on the regime.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
Releasing its annual report on Wednesday,... the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission noted that China "appears to have already started to loosen enforcement of sanctions" on the regime.
This comes despite Beijing recently agreeing to additional UN Security Council sanctions.
The report said that, when China enforced sanctions more thoroughly in the past, it led to a significant decrease in North Korean exports to China.
However the Commission says China's enforcement measures "still have holes", including the use of ship-to-ship crude oil transfers.
It added Beijing always leaves key lifelines in place for North Korea,... most notably oil exports,... which it believes averts a complete regime collapse.
The report comes as tensions have spiked between the world's two largest economies over trade and tariffs issues.
Established in 2000,... the commission has reported on China's economic and military rise,... including recommendations for counteractions such as trade sanctions.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.