April 10 (UPI) -- Chinese state media criticized the return of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to Korean waters, calling the move an "act that could heighten tensions on the Korean peninsula."
But state-owned news services also warned North Korea against a sixth nuclear test, linking Pyongyang's provocations to U.S. military deployment.
State-owned Xinhua news agency reported the U.S. Navy had deployed the Carl Vinson Strike Group, including "two guided missile destroyers and a guided missile cruiser," a move state-owned television network CCTV described as an "act that could heighten tensions."
The deployment comes a few days after U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded their first summit, and Trump ordered an airstrike against Syria's military bases.
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China's Global Times stated Monday that while North Korea is not likely to become the "next Syria," the state tabloid warned Pyongyang against further provocations, including a sixth nuclear test, which could only invite more U.S. military action.
On Fox News, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, Trump's national security adviser, defended the deployment, describing North Korea as a "rogue regime" with a "pattern of provocative behavior."
McMaster said Sunday the aircraft carrier deployment is a "prudent" move, and that Trump is considering a "full range of options" on North Korea while pointing out Trump and Xi agreed a nuclear North Korea is "unacceptable."
In a separate statement on ABC, U.S. State Secretary Rex Tillerson reiterated the objective of a "denuclearized Korean peninsula" and that "regime change" is not the purpose of deployment.
But critics are saying one option, including a strike against North Korea military facilities, could lead to a devastating North Korea assault on the South.
Note to @POTUS: Unlike Syria, N. Korea has nukes & can rain down artillery on S. Korea. You mess up and millions can die on Korean Peninsula https://t.co/YxfD4PeBxJ
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) April 9, 2017
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., expressed concern about a potential "all-options" U.S. strike on North Korea.
Lieu tweeted on Sunday, "Unlike Syria, N. Korea has nukes & can rain down artillery on S. Korea. You mess up and millions can die on Korean Peninsula."
In South Korea, Chung Sung-jang, an analyst with the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said a military strike on key facilities in the North would prompt Kim Jong Un to order a nuclear attack on Seoul, creating the "greatest military conflict since the Korean War," News 1 reported Monday.
