North Korea denounced Washington's deployment of a naval strike group to the Korean Peninsula Tuesday, warning it was ready for "war" in a further escalation of tensions in the region.
The Carl Vinson strike group cancelled a planned trip to Australia this weekend to head to the region, in a show of force as Washington signalled it may act to shut down Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities.
On top of that there were unverified reports that China had sent 150,000 troops to itswith North Korea.
"This goes to prove that the US reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase," a spokesman for the North's foreign ministry said according to state news agency KCNA.
"The DPRK is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the US," he said, using the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
According to the Australian, James Carouso, the US charge daffaires based in Canberra, said he was not surprised a US naval strike group was diverted from a scheduled visit to Australia to the Korpeninsula, as it is very clear North Korea is a problem.
Trump has previously threatened unilateral action against Pyongyang if China -- the North's sole major ally -- fails to help curb its neighbour's nuclear weapons ambitions.
