China's Army Yawns at Pyongyang's Missiles

Publication Date: May 2006

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): John J. Tkacik

Research Area: Government

Keywords: PLA; Asia and the Pacific

Type: Brief

Coverage: Korea (North) China

Abstract:

After initially expressing "concern" over North Korea's July 4th missile launches, China's unwillingness to work towards serious sanctions on North Korea provides further proof that Beijing has little interest in restraining Pyongyang. What are we to make of the disconnect between Chinese rhetoric and action? In many ways, it reflects a disconnect between the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA)--which almost certainly does not share any real concerns about North Korea's missile provocations--and Chinese diplomats, who have largely been kept out of the loop.