Posted on 01/08/2008 1:25:40 PM PST by blam
China 'plans to send troops into North Korea'
By Richard Spencer in Beijing
Last Updated: 7:58pm GMT 08/01/2008
China is planning to send troops into North Korea to restore order and secure its nuclear arsenal in the event of the regime’s collapse.
China would consider acting unilaterally, the report indicated
According to a new report, Beijing would send in the People’s Liberation Army if it felt threatened by a rapid breakdown in Kim Jong-il’s rule over the country.
China would seek to win the backing of the United Nations first, but would be prepared to act unilaterally if necessary.
“If the international community did not react in a timely manner as the internal order in North Korea deteriorated rapidly, China would seek to take the initiative in restoring stability,” said the report by two Washington think-tanks.
Based on extensive interviews conducted in China, including with PLA academics, the report’s findings back up previous indications of China’s major change in attitude to Kim Jong-il after the North Korean nuclear test of October 2006, and also demonstrate its willingness to assert itself in international affairs.
Separately, Beijing today announced its ambitions in space for the coming year, including the launch of 15 rockets and 17 satellites as well as its first space walk.
According to PLA academics quoted by the report, which was written by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies and the US Institute of Peace, the army has three “missions” in a failing North Korea.
One would be humanitarian — to deal with refugees or the consequences of natural disaster.
The second is peacekeeping and maintaining order, and the third requires it to deal with contamination from a military strike on North Korea’s nuclear facilities, and to secure nuclear weapons and materials to prevent them getting into the “wrong hands”.
The report said that there were disagreements among its sources as to whether China still wished to preserve its “special relationship” with North Korea, the only country with which it has a formal, mutual defence alliance.
But they agreed that Beijing would neither intervene to replace Kim Jong-il, nor to prevent him being replaced by others.
The Chinese government’s prime concern was stability, though there was thought to be no immediate danger of a breakdown.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman said she had “no knowledge” of the plan, but did not deny its existence.
Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Beijing’s People’s University, said the plan might have been drawn up when the North Korean regime was under greater pressure than now.
It was still unclear how it would react in future, though. “China, as with other powers, is a little confused about this,” he said.
Good catch!
Eh, it’s their perogative. China would be swamped with North Korean refugees, which is obviously something Beijing doesn’t want.
Has China ever left anyplace they went into?
Vietnam in 1979
This could become very nasty, my son leaves Camp C March 1.
Not until Condi Rice and President Bush ship a few more hundred million of or tax dollars there in return for nothing.
ping
China can get their trains back while they’re at it.
They are obviously invading for the oil!
We know how China feels about having to feed extra mouths.
I suspect they would find a clever way to feed the dead to the starving as a humanitarian campaign to feed the hungry refugees.
Lil’ Kim won’t be so ronery if the Chinese keep him company.
Weren’t the Vietnamese ready to kick their asses if they didn’t leave? Vietnam at the time had the 5th largest army in the world, with lifetime veterans of the Vietnam conflict leading the troops and in the troops. I don’t think China “left” so much as decided not to step on the beartrap.
Most of Vietnam’s veteran troops were in the South. China got bogged down but they still had reserves the size of the American Army waiting to go. Eventually, China declared victory and came home.
China had a lot more tanks and planes than Vietnam. In the end, China was not interested in war with Vietnam. They just wanted them (and the Soviets) to know who was boss.
Now if we could get Rand McNally to quickly rename North Korea ‘Taiwan’, this could be a major “win-win”.
But what to name Taiwan?
How about “Puerto Rico”? Then we would have a territory that really WANTS to be part of the U.S.!!!
Well least Chia Pet won’t be so roaney
The point of China's invasion was to point out to Vietnam that the Soviets wouldn't act to protect them. It was also meant to reopen relations with Southeast Asia (typically defined as the part of East Asia that is south of China), which was a little concerned about Vietnamese territorial ambitions after its invasion of Cambodia. If China had stayed in Vietnam, those countries would have started worrying about China, instead. China also went into Vietnam with tacit US support. If it had stayed in Vietnam, US support would have vanished, together with prospects for Chinese exports to the US.
“Most of Vietnam’s veteran troops were in the South.”
If I recall correctly, Vietnams second-stringers gave Chinas troops more than they could handle.
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