China mobilizing troops, jets near N. Korean border, US officials say

[charlie and algernon]

Source: Fox News

China has placed military forces on heightened alert in the northeastern part of the country as tensions mount on the Korean peninsula following recent threats by Pyongyang to attack, U.S. officials said.

Reports from the region reveal the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) recently increased its military posture in response to the heightened tensions, specifically North Korea's declaration of a "state of war" and threats to conduct missile attacks against the United States and South Korea.

According to the officials, the PLA has stepped up military mobilization in the border region with North Korea since mid-March, including troop movements and warplane activity.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/01/china-mobilizing-troops-jets-near-n-korean-border/

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It's Fox, so take it with a gigantic grain of salt, but this is scary as hell if true.

[Leslie Valley]

1. So if we were to honor treaties with the south

Why wouldn't China honor treaties with the north?

China’s military maintains a long-standing defense treaty with the North that obligates China to defend North Korea in the event it is attacked. The last time Chinese forces backed Pyongyang was during the Korean War when tens of thousands of Chinese “volunteers” drove south into the peninsula.

Chinese military spokesmen frequently refer to their relations with the Korean People’s Army, as the North Korean military is called, as ties “as close as lips and teeth.”

http://freebeacon.com/border-patrol/

[cstanleytech]

5. Good points but dont forget even China did not veto the recent UN resolutions

placing even more sanctions on N Korea and they could have easily done that.
China could also be reading their military to remove the N Korean leadership as well because a nuclear war would be bad for business for everyone in the region even China.

[bluedigger]

2. Sounds prudent on their part.

It's not like they are going to join in on NK's side if there's a war. They will defend their territorial integrity from any spillover, however.

[TwilightGardener]

3. I think that's natural precaution. I'm not going to read much into that.

[charlie and algernon]

4. well I doubt they would get involved with a shooting war with the US

but it shows that they think this is could be more than just rhetoric coming from North Korea. If they thought nothing was gonna happen, they'd let the US and NK do their little dance before withdrawing like every other time.

[TwilightGardener]

6. Possibly. I don't know if it's the rhetoric so much as the heightened tension--

Park of SK announced that her military can respond immediately on its own to a strike. China probably figures it's better to get into position now in case things devolve rapidly from a mistake or a provoked skirmish.

[mallard]

13. Re: doing their little dance

Seems like China has earned the right to practice up for the 'real thing' with this scale of drills, knowing it won't go beyond that. Aside from keeping up with the Joneses, they want to be able to flex their muscles too.

[YvonneCa]

32. SOS Kerry on C-Span about N Korea at 1:20 PDT, 4:20 EDT...

...here: http://www.c-span.org/

[TwilightGardener]

33. Thanks for the heads-up.

[YvonneCa]

35. You are very...

...welcome!

[maxsolomon]

7. I rather hope their intention is to end this farce

China is the key - have they had enough of this shit yet? Has NK ceased to serve its function as an impediment to SK's economy, and is now an annoyance/embarassment?

If they stop propping NK up, it's the end.

[davidpdx]

10. I was thinking the same thing

The question would be if they intervened successfully, could they install someone else as a leader? Would the country collapse?

It is an even more interesting scenario than a straight out attack by NK.

[Occulus]

20. What if China annexed North Korea?

I'm not so sure I can see a serious, immediate downside to that outcome, particularly for the people of NK. The country would certainly be easier to deal with than the regime that's in place now is making it...

[davidpdx]

24. An interesting thought

I'll have to think on that one and reply again in a few hours.

[Javaman]

30. That's a very interesting concept.

I think the financial burden placed on china wouldn't be to different than when east and west germany reunited.

It is a very interesting concept to ponder.

I wonder how south korea would feel about that.

[maxsolomon]

37. I think China would prefer to see SK burdened with that expense

The NKs themselves have been fed racist Juche propaganda for decades and are unlikely to trust anyone but fellow Koreans, and Southerners only because they'd have little choice.

The stories that will emerge when this edifice finally collapses will be heartrending.

[AngryAmish]

38. It is culturally unacceptable.

Koreans see themselves as different than and better than the Chinese. Chinese see themselves as different than and better than Koreans.

The Norks see themselves and their country as the best on Earth. It is this weird, highly racist society. The people of NK have little idea about the outside world other than it is evil and worse than their little slice of heaven. Also, NK really pushes the racial purity angle.

[iandhr]

18. They want to prop up the North. This is their minds set.

1. They don't want millions of refuges spilling over their borders.

2. They fear a unified Korea allied with the US.

[maxsolomon]

31. Do they still have that mindset?

That may have been their policy 20 years ago. I'm speculating that they're tired of this crap.

[iandhr]

34. Not sure

Thats an interesting question. Time will tell.

[davidpdx]

8. I'm wondering if China would preemptively try to stop North Korea

from launching an attack. Given that it is in China's best interest to keep the status quo.

[Snake Plissken]

12. Of course they would, they have the most to lose

If it came down to it China would turn Pyongyang into a clump of glass, they aren't about to allow a freakshow like North Korea to trash their economy.

[Stuart G]

15. Well said...perhaps...just perhaps...the world has grown some...in the last 60 years...and

let's hope it has.........

[Yo_Mama]

16. They can't like the prospect

Especially the threats of nuclear war. China is right there. They do not need this. China seemed to be genuinely irked at the announcement of a nuclear underground test (although it may not have been a nuclear test).

Maybe this is just a gentle message. China knows perfectly well that they are not going to be attacked by either the US or South Korea. But if the whole thing blows up, they would certainly have an uncomfortable situation.

China also closes the border on its side to prevent NK escapes into its territory, so maybe they are just beefing up their version of the Border Patrol. If I were a North Korean, I'd be shitting bricks about now. Perhaps China is afraid of a mad rush for the border.

[AverageJoe90]

9. I betcha FOX is probably gonna start screaming about WWIII any day now.....

When in fact, it's been shown over and over again that as fouled up as China kinda is, Beijing isn't nearly foolish enough to support a rogue state which it knows could be attacked by the U.S. or South Korea at any time if things get bad enough.

[davidpdx]

11. Let the chickshits scream

We know very few of those people have served including their sons or daughters.

[wordpix]

14. after just watching Rachel's "Hubris," I wonder if this isn't just some Faux pretense to go to war

Saddam has WMD and is linked to Muhammed Atta! NK is about to attack an ally!

I don't believe anything coming out of the RW propaganda Faux machine.

[jwirr]

17. This is what I expected to happen. Asia countries handling their own problem nation. China and

Russia do not want this any more that we do.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. So they are going to war with...Russia?

[Serve The Servants]

21. Potential refugee management

in the event of military action, or is China setting up to make a "Don't worry; we got this" kind of move and invade N. Korea themselves?
I don't believe they are pleased with N. Korea's actions right now, and I shudder to think of any other scenario.

[SteveG]

22. China is afraid of the influx of refugee's

that is likely to occur if conflict breaks out between the two Korea's. I strongly suspect this is a defensive measure on the part of the Chinese, not offensive.

[tout_le_monde]

23. This toon always reminded me of North Korea

and then there's this one:

[ronnie624]

25. There's no doubting who the swooping hawk would be;

the one who is ever on the attack, in the real world.

Many Koreans alive today, remember something of an apocalypse in their country, already. They've seen things that Americans can only know in their nightmares.

[Franker65]

26. Really seems like a standard move

Look at Turkey right now - they've asked for Patriot SAMs and other equipment to safeguard the border with Syria. I'm sure China is just responding to the escalating rhetoric. They also need to be prepared if a conflict breaks out.

[John2]

27. I don't know

where people get all these ideas? The original armistice was between North korea,China and Russia on one side and the U.S.,South Korea,and her U.N. allies on the other side. Every one of these sides have not signed any peace treaty. China opened relations with South Korea in 1992 and forced them to not recognize Taiwan for doing so. The Chinese are looking out for their own interests and playing both sides.

China developed their own nuclear arsenal after the United States initially broke the agreements in the original Armistice. They refused to help North Korea do the same. The agreement that the United States reneged on was not introducing new weapons on the Korean peninsula, including nuclear weapons. I think North Korea made a prudent decision not to rely on the Chinese or Russians for their security. It is a country very wealthy in mineral resources.

[dipsydoodle]

28. RT have it too

and I would doubt they got it from Fox : http://rt.com/news/chinese-military-korea-alert-184/

[Comrade_McKenzie]

29. China is just probably there to spank their child. nt

[Baclava]

36. and we send in guided missile destroyer

The U.S. Navy is shifting a guided-missile destroyer in the Pacific to waters off the Korean peninsula in the wake of ongoing rhetoric from North Korea, U.S. defense officials said.

The USS McCain is capable of intercepting and destroying a missile, should North Korea decide to fire one off, the officials said.



Still, U.S. defense officials insist that there is nothing to indicate that North Korea is on the verge of another launch.


http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/31/17543980-us-navy-shifts-destroyer-in-wake-of-north-korea-missile-threats?lite