China 'bolsters defences' on border with North Korea

China is thought to have begun strengthening its defences along its border with North Korea in preparation for a potential US missile strike.

Beijing is preparing for a crisis in the country, with which it shares a 880-mile border, and has been moving forces from surrounding regions to the frontier.

The move comes after the US stepped up rhetoric against the North Korean regime, which has ambitions of creating nuclear weapons.

Earlier in the month, Pyongyang carried out its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it said was capable of reaching “anywhere in the world”.

The US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, described the successful test as “a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region and the world”.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese measures include the establishment of a new border defence brigade and 24-hour video surveillance of the board backed by drones.

Bunkers to protect against nuclear and chemical strikes have also been installed.

China said its forces “maintain a normal state of combat readiness and training” on the border, but experts suggest troops have been mobilised in preparation nearby.

A spokesman said: “Military means shouldn’t be an option to solve the Korean Peninsula issue.”

However, China has been strengthening its defences along the border since Pyongyang’s first nuclear test in 2006. This includes building a fence along parts of the border and stepping up patrols.

It is reportedly preparing for a crisis in the country, which could result in millions fleeing to China. This includes the possibility of economic collapse or a US missile strike.

Donald Trump, who established an unusually cordial relationship with China in the early days of his premiership, has since pressured the country to be firmer with North Korea.

MORE: North Korea warns Donald Trump it will soon be able to destroy New York with nuclear missiles
MORE: Would Donald Trump actually attack North Korea?

In April, after meeting Chinese president Xi Jinping at the Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump hailed the “tremendous progress” made between the two countries.

However, the US has since imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank for doing business with North Korea, and reinstated an arms deals with Taiwan, which is likely to have angered Beijing.

After the missile test earlier in the month, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un publicly mocked the US calling the launch a “gift” for Independence Day.

Shortly after, China urged calm from both from sides, warning that rhetoric could lead to war.

“We also call on relevant parties to stay calm, exercise restraint, refrain from words and deeds that may heighten tensions, and jointly make effort for the easing of tensions,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters.

This week, a top US army chief warned that war between the United States and North Korea would be “unlike any we have experienced”.

Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: “Many people have talked about military options with words like ‘unimaginable.’

“I would shift that slightly to ‘horrific’. It would be a loss of life unlike any we have experienced in our lifetimes and I mean anyone who’s been alive since World War II has never seen the loss of life that could occur if there’s a conflict on the Korean Peninsula.”

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