U.S. Senator John McCain says that China is not behaving as a responsible world power in terms of how it has responded to the ongoing situation between South and North Korea.

On CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, the 2008 Republican presidential candidate said that he cannot believe Beijing should not find it in its interest to restrain North Korea, whose largest trading partner is China. He said Beijing has the capability to bring the North Korean economy to its knees.

He recommended that adjustments be made to policies regarding China, saying that Beijing is not playing a responsible role on the world stage, much less on the Korean Peninsula.

McCain also called for "regime change" in North Korea, which he referred to as having a very unstable regime. He blamed the recent crisis on the failings of Pyongyang's lone international supporter, China.