The US Secretary of State also claimed that China had told him they would impose stricter sanctions on the hermit state to strangle its nuclear capability if Pyongyang carried out a nuclear blast.

Global tensions have been escalating with North Korea after the reclusive state vowed they were prepared to go to war after carrying out their largest ever live fire drill.

Mr Tillerson said: ”We were told by the Chinese that they informed the regime that if they did conduct further nuclear tests, China would be taking sanctions actions on their own.”

But the Secretary of State did not confirm when China made the threat.

President Donald Trump had previously told Chinese leader Xi Jinping he needed to take action against North Korea.

President Xi Jinping had earlier urged for caution, but the US Secretary of State’s latest comments suggest China, who has previously called North Korea an ally, may be shifting its opinion on the secretive state.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said: "I think the administration, the Secretary of State and others, are confident that the Chinese will do the responsible thing.

"It's not in their interest at all to have a nuclear-capable North Korea. It certainly isn't in their interest to have hostilities break out."

President Trump has vowed that action needs to taken against North Korea as he met with the UN Security Council earlier this week.

Mr Trump said: “The status quo in North Korea is also unacceptable.

“This is a real threat to the world, whether we want to talk about it or not. North Korea is a big world problem and it's a problem that we have to finally solve.

"People put blindfolds on for decades and now it's time to solve the problem."

Mr Tillerson is due to chair another meeting with the UN Security Council foreign ministers later today and he said he would be calling of its members to impose tougher sanctions in light of the rogue state’s recent nuclear activity.

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