China imposed a trade ban on North Korea in line with President Xi Jinping's pledge to keep the world safe from nukes. (Photo : Getty Images)
China ordered 2,000 troops to watch over the North Korean border after getting word that the reclusive country plans on testing another nuclear missile ahead of the upcoming Seventh Party Congress.
Citing the Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, the United Press International (UPI) said that the Chinese military was worried that Pyongyang would conduct a fifth nuclear test.
According to the International Business Times, North Korea had been extremely active in its weapons testing series over the past few months, leaving the United Nations with no other choice but to hand down harsh sanctions to the country.
China, which previously did not participate in disciplining North Korea, had already made several moves to keep Pyongyang in check, especially after this year's Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington.
China-North Korea Relations
For decades, China and North Korea had remained uneasy allies after Beijing came to aid Pyongyang during the Korean War.
According to Britannica, the People's Republic of China became one of the allies of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) after the former came to help the country against the Republic of Korea (South Korea) who was aided by the United States.
However, things changed after North Korea's Kim Il Sung charged and purged outstanding members of the Yan'an faction in the 1950s.
A study conducted by the Wilson Center revealed that while China may have a reason to care about North Korea's actions, it has limited power over the country.
"The real problem is not what Beijing is willing to do, but what it is in a position to do," the research stated.
China's only leverage over North Korea is its economic dependence to Beijing, which the East Asian superpower had already used when it imposed restrictions on import ban of gold, rare earths and export of jet fuel and other oil products to Pyongyang.
China's Actions to Keep North Korea Under Control
Chinese President Xi Jinping took advantage of this year's Nuclear Security Summit to discuss with the U.S. the global threat posed by North Korea.
According to Forbes, China may already be close to being convinced that what the world needs to remain peaceful is an end to Kim Jong-un's nuclear program.
"One of China's strategic objectives is to ensure that relations with its Korean neighbor remain friendly," the report read. "Yet growing hostility from North Korea may lead China to take heed of South Korean reassurances and come to find that a unified peninsula can be a favorable outcome."
