Here is what Senior Colonel Zhou Bo from China’s Ministry of National Defense had to say about the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) contact with North Korea:
What sort of relations does the Chinese military have with its North Korean counterparts? Are you in regular contact with them?
No not at all. We have zero contact with them right now.
Why is that the case when China – at least some officials – refer to North Korea as neighbours, sometimes even as a good neighbour? So you have no contact with the military of a close neighbour?
No, currently we do not have any contact or ties with the DPRK militarily. In the past we did, we had a lot of contact and exchanges. I think this reflect a kind of change in our relationship for the reasons known to all.
China and DPRK are definitely neighbors, and we fought a war on Korean soil a long, long time ago. But what I would say is China is right now united with the international community to seriously honour UN resolutions, and we hope we eventually may find a solution to these problems. [Channel News Asia]
I find it hard to believe they have no contact with North Korea. So there is no PLA defense attache at the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang?
I totally agree with these military exchanges because it reduces tensions and suspicion between two countries usually viewed as rivals. Hopefully cooperation will continue to build in other areas between the US and China as well:
Servicemembers from the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force demonstrate ways to secure and evacuate casualties to their Chinese Army counterparts during the Disaster Management Exchange held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Nov. 20, 2015. DOD
Army medic Sgt. Leslie Peterson hesitated to answer when a medic from the Chinese military asked a basic question about how Peterson would care for a soldier badly wounded in battle.
“Can I answer that?” Peterson asked a higher-ranking U.S. soldier.
Peterson was given a blessing to respond. Then she continued her demonstration that won applause from a couple dozen visitors at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Friday.
She was a hit with this contingent from China’s People’s Liberation Army. But her hesitation underscored the newness of an unusual military exchange at JBLM that’s connecting soldiers from two armies usually characterized as rivals.
The exchange this week brought about 80 soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army to a military base in the continental U.S. for the first time. It marked a progression in an 11-year sequence of formal exchanges between the two armies focused on preparing for natural disasters.
Leaders from both countries view disaster preparation as an area where they can cooperate and build trust, possibly reducing the likelihood of an armed conflict in East Asia. [Stars & Stripes]
