Trump says China pressuring North Korea on missile, nukes

"I don't know. I mean, we'll see", he said when asked about the possibility of a military action in the wake of a nuclear test.

North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile Saturday in apparent defiance of a concerted U.S. push for tougher worldwide sanctions to curb Pyongyang's nuclear weapons ambitions.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday", McMaster says it's important "for all of us to confront this regime, this regime that is pursuing the weaponization of a missile with a nuclear weapon".

The official said the missile launch was the kind of "provocation" that had been anticipated ahead of South Korea's 9 May election, and that the president could use the test-firing to further press China to do more to rein in North Korea.

President Donald Trump has warned he will be ready to take action when North Korea successfully develops missiles after its latest test failed again. The North has been ratcheting up tensions for months with a series of missile launches, including a volley of rockets in early March which saw three falls provocatively close to Japan.

"I would not be happy", Mr. Trump repeated. The tensions have put US allies in the region - notably South Korea and Japan - on high alert.

"Military pressure against North Korea by the United States only provokes retaliatory steps of the North Korean side".

The dispatch of Carl Vinson to the waters off the Korean peninsula is a "reckless action of the war maniacs aimed at an extremely risky nuclear war", the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, said in a commentary on Saturday.

"When you have North Korea, and you have them flagrantly talking about developing nuclear war heads, which they have already done, and putting out videos of how they're going to launch these things to the U.S. and across the globe, that has to remain at the highest level", Priebus said. Trump himself of Thursday warned of the prospect of a "major, major conflict" with North Korea.

Without making major claims about Kim, he noted that the North Korean leader had assumed power at a young age and was forced to deal with "obviously very tough people".

McCain said on Sunday that China has the power to change what happens moving forward.

The meeting of the top United Nations body on Friday laid bare major differences among key powers over the way to address the North Korea crisis.

Tillerson didn't rule out future talks, but he said North Korea had to "exhibit a good-faith commitment" to abide by existing United Nations resolutions by abandoning its nuclear program, something Kim's government has sworn it will not do.

Saturday's launch comes at a point of particularly high tension. "And I will tell you a man that I have gotten to like and respect, the president of China, President Xi, I believe has been putting pressure on them also, but so far, perhaps nothing's happened, perhaps it has". The North's previous test almost two weeks ago was also botched. "But perhaps they're just not very good missiles. That, as we would say, trumps trade".

He added: "I urge this council to act before North Korea does".

Trump, who admitted North Korea was his biggest global challenge, said the launch was an affront to the North's sole main ally - China.