The U.S. State Department has repeated its calls for China to make efforts to prevent North Korea from carrying out further provocations. 

Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a press briefing on Wednesday that China has a responsibility to make clear to North Korea that it should not engage in unlawful nuclear or ballistic missile tests. He added that the United States will continue to engage with China to manage the very real threat posed by North Korea. 

Patel said that the U.S. must limit the North's ability to advance its unlawful ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction program. He also urged the North to refrain from further provocation and to engage in dialogue. 

The spokesperson, however, refused to give a direct answer when asked if the U.S. is mulling sanctions against Chinese financial institutions to put pressure on North Korea. 

Regarding the North's human rights situation, Patel said that North Korea continues to be one of the most repressive authoritarian states in the world, adding that the U.S. is committed to placing human rights at the center of its foreign policy.