China Draws “Red Lines” to Restrain both North Korea and the United States
Categories Uncategorized0 CommentsChina Draws “Red Lines” to Restrain Both North Korea and the United States
November 28, 2017
Alarmed by escalating threats of nuclear attack being exchanged by the United States and North Korea, China used an opinion piece in the state-run Global Times to warn both nations of dire consequences if either should attack the other.
As reported in Asia Times on August 11 this year, the opinion piece in China’s Global Times repeated China’s long-standing position that the U.S. and South Korea should cease threatening statements and military exercises threatening North Korea, and North Korea should cease missile and nuclear weapons tests.
“China should also make clear that if North Korea launches missiles that threaten US soil first and the US retaliates, China will stay neutral,” the Global Times editorial said.
“If the US and South Korea carry out strikes and try to overthrow the North Korean regime and change the political pattern of the Korean peninsula,” added the Chinese editorial, “China will prevent them from doing so.”
There you have it: a first-strike U.S. attack to overthrow the North Korean Government by the U.S. would be an attack on China.
Also, if North Korea attacks “US soil” China will stay neutral if the U.S. retaliates.
I hope and believe this will restrain both North Korea and the U.S. from going to war. China has a fully-developed nuclear arsenal, focused on deterring the United States from just the sort of “nuclear blackmail” President Trump is attempting with his threats to destroy North Korea unless it gives up its nuclear weapons program.
The “freeze for freeze” proposal to end the threat of war, with the U.S. stopping threatening statements and military exercises and North Korea suspending tests of nuclear weapons and missiles, is supported by many thoughtful U.S. strategists. I believe we should all demand an end to military threat against North Korea, which is putting the U.S. homeland in increasing danger of actual nuclear attack.
