Chinese troops stationed along the border with North Korea have been placed on high alert, according to Japanese daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun.
The People’s Liberation Army has three stages of alertness, and this is the middle stage. Beijing activates it when a “direct military threat” is detected. Soldiers are prepared for combat and are forbidden from taking leave.
The order came down in mid-April, and China has moved 150,000 soldiers to guard the border – or to potentially invade the Hermit Kingdom themselves, if they feel the need. Sim Tack, a North Korea expert with geopolitical analysis firm Stratfor, called the Chinese movements an attempt to minimize American involvement on the peninsula.
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