(CNN) China understands how dangerous North Korea's nuclear program has become and agrees action must be taken to stop it, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday, as the US sent an aircraft carrier strike group toward the Korean Peninsula.

"I think even China is beginning to recognize that this presents a threat to even China's interests," Tillerson said during an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" program Sunday. He was asked about how North Korea was discussed during last week's summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"President Xi clearly understands, and I think agrees, that the situation has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken," Tillerson said.

Tillerson did not offer specifics on what those actions might be, but said in Seoul last month that the US would consider military action against North Korea if it was provoked.

Despite Tillerson's assessment, China hasn't signaled any change in its approach to Pyongyang in the wake of the landmark summit.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't mention North Korea in two statements it released after the two leaders met, and on Monday ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying stuck to Beijing's usual script.

"China's position on the Korean Peninsula issue has been consistent," she said.

"During the China-US presidential summit at Mar-a-Lago, both sides said they were committed to the goal of denuclearizing the peninsula, would continue to comprehensively carry out UN Security Council resolutions related to North Korea, and agreed to keep close communication and coordination on the issue."

Earlier this year, China called on both North Korea and the US to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula -- Pyongyang by suspending its nuclear weapon and missile program and Washington by stopping military exercises with South Korea that antagonize Pyongyang.

Hua reiterated this approach at Monday's briefing.

South Korea and China also agreed to take measures against North Korea if the country were to carry out another nuclear test or launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"Both sides agreed that despite the international community's warning if North Korea makes strategic provocations such as a nuclear test or an ICBM launch, there should be strong additional measures in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions," said Kim Hong-kyun, South Korea's special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs.

Warship heads to Korean Peninsula, not Australia

The comments from Washington's top diplomat came as the Pentagon announced it was sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the waters off the Korean Peninsula.

The move of the USS Carl Vinson strike group is in response to recent North Korean provocations, a US defense official confirmed to CNN.

The Vinson and its escorts, including the guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy and the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, left Singapore Saturday and headed toward South Korea rather than planned port calls in Australia, according to a statement from US Pacific Command.

South Korea said the movement of the Vinson strike group "is a result of recognizing the grave situation on the Korean Peninsula."

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"Given that many political events are taking place (in April) there is a possibility for a strategic provocation from North Korea such as a nuclear test and missile launch," South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-kyun said.

Japan, which has seen previous North Korean missile tests fall within 200 miles of its coast, praised the US carrier movement.

"While the regional security environment becomes increasingly difficult to maintain, it's important to secure the power of US deterrence," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

The carrier strike group's movement comes just days before North Korea celebrates the April 15 birthday of deceased leader Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un. There has been much speculation that Pyongyang will test missiles or possibly a nuclear device to mark the day.

Photos: US aircraft carriers Sailors spell out #USA with the American flag on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Persian Gulf in late June 2015. When the Roosevelt leaves the Gulf sometime in October, the U.S. Navy will be without a carrier in the important region for two months. Hide Caption 1 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers A MV-22B Osprey, from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1, lifts off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on June 12, 2016. Click through the gallery to see other US aircraft carriers. Hide Caption 2 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Tug boats maneuver the aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) into the James River during the ship's turn ship evolution on June 11, 2016. This is a major milestone that brings the country's newest aircraft carrier another step closer to delivery and commissioning later this year. Hide Caption 3 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) arrives at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, a suburb of Tokyo, Japan, on October 1, 2015. The Reagan is the fifth U.S. carrier forward deployed to Japan following USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), USS Independence (CV 62) and USS Midway (CV 41), according to the Navy. Hide Caption 4 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) transits through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea on June 13, 2016. Ike, the flagship of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations. It could be used to support operations against ISIS in the Mideast. Hide Caption 5 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers A rainbow forms over the bow of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis as the ship steams in the Pacific Ocean on February 3, 2015. Hide Caption 6 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers U.S. aircraft carrier classes – U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter (left) and Philippine Secretary of National Defense Voltaire Gazmin shake hands on a Marine Corps V-22 Osprey as they depart the the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) after touring the aircraft carrier as it sailed in the South China Sea on April 15, 2016. Hide Caption 7 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers A photo illustration of the U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). The ship's keel laying ceremony was celebrated Saturday, August 22, 2015, in Newport News, Virginia. The ship is expected to replace the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), scheduled for inactivation in 2025, in the Navy fleet. The newest Kennedy will be the second carrier of that name. The first John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) was the last conventionally powered carrier. It was decommissioned in 2007. Hide Caption 8 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) passes under the Friendship Bridge while transiting the Suez Canal on Dec. 14, 2015. The ship is conducting operations in the Persian Gulf, where Iran claims to have taken footage of the carrier using a drone. Click through the gallery for more images of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Hide Caption 9 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman V. Sek, assigned to the "Jolly Rogers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, applies a Christmas decal to an F/A-18F Super Hornet in the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in December 2015. Hide Caption 10 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is seen from inside its sister ship, the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), on August 7 off the coast of California as the two ships prepare for a "hull swap." Over 10 days in San Diego, much of the crew of each ship will transfer to the other. When completed, the Reagan will head to forward deployment in Japan, where the Washington had been. The Washington will head to Newport News, Virginia, for an overhaul. Hide Caption 11 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Three Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), top, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), center, and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) are pierside at Naval Air Station North Island near San Diego on June 12, 2015. The Vinson has just recently returned from a 10-month deployment. The Reagan is preparing for a move to Japan later this year and the Stennis was making a port call after steaming from its homeport of Bremerton, Washington. Hide Caption 12 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Sailors test the countermeasure washdown system on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) during sea trials prior to returning to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in late August 2015. Hide Caption 13 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt departs Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on Wednesday, March 11, for a scheduled deployment. The Nimitz-class carrier's departure was delayed for two days after marine growth clogged sea water intakes. Divers went into the 36-degree water to clean out the intakes and allow the ship to get under way. The cold water created a fog that made it seem the ship was in a cloud. Hide Caption 14 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The USS Abraham Lincoln, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, is seen near the coast of Indonesia in 2005. The carrier recently received a new anchor from the decommissioned USS Enterprise. Hide Caption 15 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Lightning strikes over the flight deck of the USS John C. Stennis, another Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, as the ship moves through the Persian Gulf in 2007. All of the Navy's 10 active aircraft carriers are from the Nimitz class, which started in 1975 with the commission of the USS Nimitz. Hide Caption 16 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The USS Ranger (CV-61) arrives at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1993. The Forrestal-class carrier, which featured in the movie "Top Gun," is to be scrapped this year. Hide Caption 17 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers In this photo released by the U.S. Navy, a tugboat works alongside the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Saratoga on Thursday, August 21, in Newport, Rhode Island. The Navy has paid a Texas recycling company a penny to dispose of the Saratoga, part of the Forrestal-class of "supercarrier" vessels built for the Atomic Age. The carrier was decommissioned 20 years ago. Hide Caption 18 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Aircrew members are lifted from the flight deck of the USS John F. Kennedy during an exercise in 2002. The ship, which was decommissioned in 2007, was the only member of its class. Hide Caption 19 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers An F/A-18 Hornet launches from the USS Enterprise in 2007. The Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was decommissioned in 2012. Like the John F. Kennedy, it was the only ship built in its class. Hide Caption 20 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The Kitty Hawk class was named for the USS Kitty Hawk, seen here departing Yokosuka, Japan, in 2008. At that time, the Kitty Hawk was the oldest carrier in the U.S. Navy and the only conventional-power aircraft carrier still in commission. It was decommissioned in 2009. Hide Caption 21 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The USS Independence, a member of the Forrestal class that preceded the Kitty Hawk class, heads up the East River in New York in 1959. Hide Caption 22 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Helicopters sit on the flight deck of the USS Saipan during the mid-1950s. The ship was one of two members of the Saipan class. Hide Caption 23 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The USS Midway, namesake of the Midway class of aircraft carriers, floats off the coast of North Vietnam in 1972. It was named after the Battle of Midway, when U.S. forces held back a Japanese attempt to take the Pacific atoll in 1942. Hide Caption 24 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The USS Princeton, part of the Independence class, moves off the coast of Seattle in 1944. Hide Caption 25 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The Essex-class USS Franklin burns after being hit by a Japanese dive bomber in 1945. The ship was named after Benjamin Franklin and nicknamed "Big Ben." Hide Caption 26 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The USS Wasp burns in the Coral Sea after being struck by three torpedoes from a Japanese submarine in 1942. The ship, the only one of its class, would ultimately sink because of the damage. Hide Caption 27 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers B-25 bombers sit on the deck of the USS Hornet in the Pacific Ocean in 1942. The Hornet, one of three carriers in the Yorktown class, was the ship that launched the bombers flown by Air Force Lt. Col. James Doolittle and his pilots during an air raid in Tokyo four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It also was involved in the Battle of Midway. Hide Caption 28 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers Navy personnel work on board the USS Ranger circa 1942. The Ranger was the first ship to be designed and built specifically as an aircraft carrier. It was the only ship in its class. Hide Caption 29 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers There have actually been two aircraft carriers named after the Revolutionary War's Battle of Saratoga. The first USS Saratoga, seen here moving toward San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge in 1945, was one of two members of the Lexington class of aircraft carriers. Hide Caption 30 of 31 Photos: US aircraft carriers The USS Langley, the Navy's first aircraft carrier and sole member of its class, steams off the coast of Baltimore in 1924. Hide Caption 31 of 31

The US carrier group also left Singapore just days after North Korea's most recent missile test.

On April 5, North Korea launched a projectile, later identified as a Scud extended-range missile, into the sea off the Korean Peninsula. There were conflicting accounts about how far it flew. The regime also has recently conducted several missile engine tests as it works to improve its ballistic missile technology.

Analysts said the movement of the US warships was likely defensive in nature.

Bruce Bennett, senior defense analyst at the Rand Corp. think tank, said in an email to CNN that the US destroyers and cruiser sailing with the carrier are equipped with the Aegis anti-missile system.

"If North Korea were to test some number of ballistic missiles by firing them into the East Sea/Sea of Japan, these warships would have the potential of intercepting the North Korean test missile," Bennett said.

He said they aren't carrying the weaponry needed for a strike against Pyongyang's nuclear program, something analysts consider highly unlikely.

"Because North Korea places most of its assets underground, it will be difficult for the Vinson group to do a lot of damage to North Korea on its own," he said.