Sourced from NHK World:
A senior US official says more Chinese companies and individuals are under investigation for suspected sanctions violations against North Korea.
The State Department's coordinator for sanctions policy, Daniel Fried testified at a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific on Wednesday.
On violations of sanctions imposed by the United Nations and unilaterally by the United States against the North, Fried said US officials are actively looking at all possible targets.
The US government on Monday announced criminal charges and penalties against a Chinese trading company and 4 of its executives for conspiring to evade sanctions against Pyongyang.
Fried said the actions clearly indicate that the United States is willing to sanction Chinese companies that are evading US and UN sanctions.
Calls are growing among Republican lawmakers to increase pressure on China. Many speculate President Barack Obama's government is unwilling to do so out of consideration for US-China relations.
Fried also claimed North Korea earns around 1 billion dollars annually from coal exports, largely to China.
He said the United States aims to toughen embargos on coal in additional sanctions being discussed at the UN Security Council.
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