The U.S. says that South Korea has made clear that it is prepared to defend itself and is taking appropriate actions in its self-defense.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley made the remarks in a regular briefing in response to a question about South Korea’s nationwide civil defense drill Wednesday, which was the nation’s largest ever.

Crowley said that the U.S. is conscious that recent actions by North Korea have increased tensions.

He said that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and his delegation arrived in Beijing and met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai on Wednesday. The two senior officials discussed bilateral and regional issues, including the Korean Peninsula.

Steinberg is scheduled to hold a meeting Thursday with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in a recent visit to North Korea.