(AP) — China is rejecting U.S. accusations it is weakening its enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea, but says greater effort is needed toward reaching a political settlement and more attention should be paid to the impact of the sanctions on ordinary North Koreans. The comments by a foreign ministry spokesperson were in response to comments by the State Department’s deputy special envoy for North Korea in which he said China was no longer even attempting to enforce many of the sanctions. The ministry spokesperson says as “a responsible big power, China has always earnestly implemented Security Council resolutions and fulfilled its international obligations.”