A US naval strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, following a regularly scheduled assignment in Singapore, was ordered to head north "as a prudent measure" instead of heading toward Australia, as had been planned.
The phone call, reported by China's state broadcaster, CCTV, came hours after Trump cautioned Beijing in a Twitter message and a television interview that it needed to help Washington rein in North Korea, a Chinese ally.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by telephone on Wednesday, just days after they met in the United States for the first time, underscoring the sense of urgency about North Korea.
Worldwide observers fear that North Korea may conduct another nuclear test this weekend on the anniversary of the founding of the Kim regime, but the U.S. has broadcast loud and clear that nuclear posturing in the Korean peninsula will no longer be tolerated, and the Chinese seem to be stepping up to help.
Military chief Hwang Pyong So, viewed as the No. 2 man in North Korea, said on Monday the country will "mount a pre-emptive nu- clear attack on South Korea and the United States and wipe them out without traces if they attempt to launch a war of aggression".
Xi's comments came after the USA president tweeted that China should do more on the issue Washington sees as an increasingly urgent threat, or the US would go it alone.
Around 200 foreign journalists are in Pyongyang to cover the country's biggest national day called the Day of the Sun, as it marks the 105th birth anniversary of its founding president Kim II Sung on 15 April. "After listening for 10 minutes, I realized it's not so easy", Trump said.
North Korean state media warned on Tuesday of a nuclear attack on the U.S. at any sign of American aggression.
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Albrighton admitted his challenge had been clumsy but echoed Shakespeare's sentiments regarding the location of the foul. "We knew it was going to be a very complicated game, they were not going to back down".
Pyongyang has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them previous year, and analysis of satellite imagery suggests it could be preparing for a sixth.
The nuclear test facility is "primed and ready" for what would be North Korea's sixth nuclear test, according to an analysis by Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jack Liu. He reiterated his commitment to removing nuclear weapons from the Peninsula during the call, which China's foreign ministry later said had been initiated by Trump.
Trump said he had offered Xi a "good trade deal" if Beijing would help with North Korea.
South Korea's acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, has warned of "greater provocations" by North Korea and ordered the military to intensify monitoring.
On Tuesday, the U.S. president tweeted that "North Korea is looking for trouble".
The editorial said that China "presumably will react strongly to Pyongyang's new nuclear actions" and that the North "should avoid making mistakes at this time".
But the Trump administration has been unusually outspoken about retaining pre-emptive military options against North Korea. USA officials said Trump was considering sanctions that could include an oil embargo, banning North Korea's airline, intercepting cargo ships, and punishing Chinese banks doing business with it.
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