US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "sent a very clear signal that our policy of strategic patience is over" with North Korea during his recent visit to China, a White House spokesman said on Monday, Reuters reported.
Spokesman Sean Spicer made the comment at a news briefing in reply to a question about Tillerson's reaction to an announcement by North Korea about its latest rocket-engine test on Sunday.
Tillerson was in Beijing during his first visit to Asia for talks dominated by concern about Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.