North Korea: China bombers on ‘high alert,’ US official says

China put cruise missile-capable bombers “on high alert” this week as the United States sees evidence the Chinese military is preparing to respond to a potential situation in North Korea, a US defense official told CNN.

The official said the United States has also seen an extraordinary number of Chinese military aircraft being brought up to full readiness.

China and North Korea: A complicated relationship 01:13
These recent steps have been assessed as part of China’s effort to “reduce the time to react to a North Korea contingency,” the official said. Such a contingency could include the risk of an armed conflict breaking out as tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased in the wake of North Korean missile tests.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang said Friday he was “aware of the relevant reports” of a heightened alert in the Chinese air force but said he has “no information to give.”
But China’s Ministry of National Defense said the US official’s assertions were “not true.”
“The Chinese military at the China-North Korea border is maintaining a normal level of combat readiness and training,” the ministry said in a statement.

 

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