First of all let me apologize for being mostly absent of late. I have been engaged in a fairly successful project that I will provide details on in the not too distant future.
Now, on to the business of this post...
I found this story in the sidebar at AoS. It has to do with the near term prospects of the North Korean regime. Or perhaps the lack thereof.
I have been wondering for perhaps the last six months just when and how China was going to yank the leash. North Korea going nuclear and then, worse, exporting nuclear and ballistic missile technology had to be the beginning of the Chicoms losing patience with their clinically insane southern protectorate. Recently there have been incidents/provocations involving Japan and there have been issues with South Korea for literally decades.
Well, apparently, China's patience has moved from "losing" to "lost."
This story discusses the "leak" of a Chinese contingency plan for what happens after the Nork regime collapses. The thinking (which I agree with) is that the Chicoms don't just leak something accidentally...
China has drawn up detailed contingency plans for the collapse of the North Korean government, suggesting that Beijing has little faith in the longevity of Kim Jong-un’s regime.
Documents drawn up by planners from China’s People’s Liberation Army that were leaked to Japanese media include proposals for detaining key North Korean leaders and the creation of refugee camps on the Chinese side of the frontier in the event of an outbreak of civil unrest in the secretive state.
If you buy into the notion that China is psychologically "preparing" the world for life without the Kim regime, then there are but two possibilities.
1) China has specific and detailed knowledge of an upcoming coup or rebellion by the Norks against the Kim regime or,
2) China is planning to foment or fake a coup to topple Kim Jong-un. This option seems more likely.
Kim Jong-un is certifiably insane. It's genetic. His father was nuts, too. But Jong-un is much worse and now he has nukes, ballistic missile tech and no sense of restraint whatsoever. China has got to be growing increasingly nervous about this lunatic starting a for-real war on its southern border. So...it would make total sense for them to pre-emptively deal with the situation rather than wait for the inevitable disaster.
Further commentary can be found at
The American Thinker...Something very significantly troubling has happened to cause China to warn the world about impending collapse and chaos in North Korea and to inform the world of China’s contingency plans. Whatever form those plans ultimately take, China is letting the rest of the world know matters are at a breaking point with N. Korea, as the country is increasingly an embarrassment to China as well as a threat to Chinese control.
North Korea’s leaders, as well as the entire global community, have been put on notice that China is fed up.
