[Photo] Convoy of Chinese military trucks seen moving towards North Korea border in late December

DailyNK ^ | 2018-01-03 | Kim Sung Il

[TigerLikesRooster]

[Photo] Convoy of Chinese military trucks seen moving towards North Korea border in late December

Kim Sung Il | 2018-01-03 13:23



A long convoy of Chinese military trucks in the Yanji area
of Jilin Province moving towards the North Korean border.
Image captured on December 24. Image: Daily NK

Dozens of Chinese military trucks were spotted on December 24 driving from Yanji (Jilin Province) towards the North Korean border, drawing the curiosity of passersby.

A source in the area told Daily NK on December 30 that trucks looking similar to those typically used by Chinese border forces were seen driving in a long convoy over the course of four days, mostly at night in order to avoid attention. He added that this is not a typical occurrence.

"There were so many trucks that it caused congestion on the road. There has never been a situation like this before where so many trucks have been present in the Yanji area near the border," the source said.

Another source in China close to North Korea affairs told Daily NK that "the Chinese military is gathering along the entire border, including the Tumen and Yalu River areas. I also heard that their movement to the border is now complete."

Despite attempts by Chinese authorities to ban local residents from spreading news about military movements, the reality on the ground is more lax. The source reported that locals are wondering if US President Trump may actually attack North Korea in the new year, pointing to news of Chinese military preparations as a potential sign of imminent conflict.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Looks like a National Guard convoy on any interstate in New England on a weekend. No big deal.

[Justa]

No big deal?

So when have New England National Guard units deployed en mass to the Canadian border? Since you know, it’s a regular event.

[Pecos]

We know that the PLA moves missile defense equipment and crews on a regular basis as part of their target denial strategy. So, this may be part of a regular internal re-deployment, or part of their on-going problem of NK citizens illegally importing themselves into one of the PRC provinces adjoining NK, or maybe just a way of moving military equipment into NK in contravention to the embargo they signed onto.

[Dixie Yooper]

Sent there to stop a swell of refugees, if war breaks out on the peninsula. There would be more than trucks moving if they were planning an offensive.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I’m going with the evidence in the picture. If it had been a five mile long convoy, that would be a different thing, but an artillery battery in convoy looks like a World War II movie to civilians.

Just healthy skepticism.

I wonder what role the PLA would play in renewed hostilities in Korea? Protagonist or border guard? Logistical aid to the North? A standing reserve to discourage U.S. advances into the North? A “peacekeeper”?

I suspect the Chinese wish to keep their options open at this time. They may not have decided.

[airborne]

China is just getting ready for a collapse of the NK government.

If it does happen, China will be in power before “Rocket Man” is in the coffin.

[KSCITYBOY]

Sounds about rigth

[PIF]

Earlier reports stated that China:
1) had moved 150,000 troops to the border region;
2) troops along the border were engaged in a war game;
3) numerous refuge centers were being built along the border;
4) more troops moving toward the border (this report).

[Justa]

Since the end of WWII NK has been a protectorate of the Soviet Union with China being the military arm starting in the 1950s. I don’t know to what degree the Russians or Chinese have relinquished their control of NK. China however has an active ‘Friendship Treaty’ with NK which specifies each country will come to the aid of the other in event of a military conflict.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sino-North_Korean_Mutual_Aid_and_Cooperation_Friendship_Treaty

There is no two ways about it. In the event of a US/Coalition attack on NK China will militarily support NK. They will invade the North and it will be a replay of the Korean war.

[Justa]

Need to qualify the above a bit. I should have written it “may be a replay of the Korean war.

This is why Mattis has stated that in the event of a US/Coalition military incursion into NK that all forces would return below the DMZ following the action. But this would not prevent triggering the Sino-NK mutual assistance treaty. So the Chinese have pre-positioned troops on the border for a rapid entry into NK to protect the Kim regime in the event of a US led invasion.

[central_va]

Resupplying their friends.

[TigerLikesRooster]

They could be pre-positioning their supplies.

[Zhang Fei]

Sent there to stop a swell of refugees, if war breaks out on the peninsula.

---

Between China’s massive land holdings (>US), resources and population, even if all of North Korea moved across the Yalu as refugees, it wouldn’t really be a problem. It would add 2% to the Chinese population. Given that South Korea is willing to take every single NK refugee who wants in, the real reason the Chinese are leery of North Koreans crossing over en masse is that this would trigger the collapse of Kim’s friendly regime and perhaps the unification of the Koreas under southern rule.

The fall of the Berlin Wall triggered the collapse of the Warsaw Pact client states, because of refugee flows. The same thing would happen if the Chinese let the North Koreans in. The wickedness of Communist China’s leadership knows no bounds.

[JZelle]

A few days ago Lou Dobbs showed a clip of Xi telling a large assembly of military to prepare for war. A chill wind is ablowin’

[Thibodeaux]

In the “Korean” war, china dis not enter until threatened by McArthur’s rants about having a war with china to allow the return of Chang Kai Shak.

China was not allied to North Korea and was protecting Chinese interests. What’s more, after the initial devastating attacks destroying whole American units, the chinese drew back. Rather than take the hint that the Americans were not only outnumbered but unable to effectively win against the Chinese numbers and tactics, the Racist McArthur and the morons on his staff insisted on pressing to the Yalu River. They not only lost all the previous gains but were severely threatened to lose it all.

The situation was saved by General Ridgeway who essentially disregaarded Tokyo and fought as he saw fit.

The defeats in November of 1950 were the worst ever experienced by the American Army. The defeats were handed to the complete lack of the situational awareness by American officers that never visited the battlefield and gave orders from the Da Ichi hotel in tokyo.

If the “Korean” war is to be used as an example, the lesson is to destroy the Norks without threatening China.

[dsrtsage]

Kim will soon be very ronery

[fella]

Pre-positioning supplies like they did in 1950.

[Justa]

What a fantastic vision you have. Much of what you wrote is very inaccurate.

You wrote:

“china dis not enter until threatened by McArthur’s rants about having a war with china to allow the return of Chang Kai Shak.”

The truth:

“On 1 October 1950, the day that UN troops crossed the 38th parallel, the Soviet ambassador forwarded a telegram from Stalin to Mao and Zhou requesting that China send five to six divisions into Korea, and Kim Il-sung sent frantic appeals to Mao for Chinese military intervention.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War#China_intervenes_(October_–_December_1950)

You wrote:
“China was not allied to North Korea and was protecting Chinese interests. What’s more, after the initial devastating attacks destroying whole American units, the chinese drew back.”

The truth:

The Chinese entry into NK was to wage war against the UN Coalition at the direction of Moscow.

“After consulting with Stalin, on 13 November [1950], Mao appointed Zhou Enlai the overall commander and coordinator of the war effort, with Peng as field commander.”

China’s intention in Korea was to solve the “Korean question”

“On 20 August 1950, Premier Zhou Enlai informed the UN that “Korea is China’s neighbor ... The Chinese people cannot but be concerned about a solution of the Korean question”.

The December 1950 Chinese draw back was not some peace offer. They drew back because they were out of supplies and had suffered 70% casualties. Several PLA divisions were annihilated and removed from the Chinese Order of Battle for two years. Many of the Chinese casualties were due to the cold and lack of supplies. IOW many froze to death and many others were frostbite casualties.

China launched its Second Offensive in January, 1950 respective to their war planning, not MacArthur continuing the advance to the Yalu. MacArthur’s troop disposition and decisions show clear ignorance of the Chinese commitment and his limited strategic authority to use nuclear weapons.

I do agree with you on:
“The defeats were handed to the complete lack of the situational awareness by American officers that never visited the battlefield and gave orders from the Da Ichi hotel in tokyo.”

IMO they believed they could limit any escalation, even with China and/or Russia by using atomic weapons. They would rely on America’s qualitative and quantitative advantage in nuclear weapons in 1950. A strategically correct but not politically correct assumption.