I told you they were planning big-time for the endgame

ARTICLE: China planning to secure North Korea's nuclear arsenal: report, by P. Parameswaran, AFP, Jan 8, 2008

Comments

[Ted O'Connor]

The last Chinese military action was in 1979 when they invaded Vietnam. Both sides lied about who got the worst of it but outside observers thought the Chinese took a pretty good pounding. Of course the Chinese did not stay very long and so they did not play their big hand which is "numbers". They can take more casualties than just about anyone else. That is, they could thirty years ago. Are they more "sensitive" now that they drive Buick's and shop at Walmart? Who knows. Can they pull off a presicison strike at North Korea's nuke bunkers? Do they also intend to do "regime change"? Do they think they are immune to the "quicksand" syndrome that they have seen wallow about in? Interesting stuff. It certainly would be refreshing to sit on the sidelines and watch someone else slug it out for a change.

[Jack]

What's most interesting to me is this quote from Parameswaran's article:

"According to PLA researchers, contingency plans are in place for the PLA to perform three possible missions" in North Korea -- humanitarian and peacekeeping missions and "environmental control" measures, the report said.

Of course it's just talk (and I'm guessing that if push comes to shove, the Chinese will go more for "peacekeeping" than humanitarian) but the mention of both a humanitarian and a peacekeeping mission - doesn't that at least sound like a Chinese version of a sysadmin/leviathan split?

How come they see the need to at least frame an incursion in those terms while we don't?

[Louis Heberlein]

It is curious to me how our media seem to ignore these type articles.

[Michael]

Jack: Maybe they've benefitted from watching us to find out what NOT to do?

[GJA]

I'd kinda like to see China conduct such an operation. I'm just curious of what it would look like? How would China utilize their military? I know its a border state, but its still a major step. This would also be the first invasion of a nuclear armed state.