The United States has urged China to join international efforts to seek stern measures against North Korea for its sinking of the Cheonan naval ship.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters Thursday that Washington wants the international community to send a very strong message to North Korea that such provocative actions will not be tolerated, apparently referring to Pyongyang’s sinking of the Cheonan.

Crowley said he expects that the Cheonan issue will come before the U.N. Security Council in the next few days, and China will have the opportunity to hear and understand precisely what the U.S. has heard and understood from its participation in the naval incident investigation.

Crowley’s remark comes after the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said Wednesday that he is disappointed by the international community's "tepid" response to North Korea's attack on the Cheonan, and he urged China to step up and do more.