No sign of China backing for North Korean missile tests: experts

Military observers and PLA source dismiss concerns over timing of March firings which coincided with PLA activity in Sea of Japan

There is no evidence Beijing is interested in closer military ties with Pyongyang, they say

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Two North Korean short-range missile firings in March coincided with a PLA naval exercise in the Sea of Japan. Photo: AP

Published: 5:10pm, 28 Apr 2021Updated: 10:22pm, 28 Apr 2021

China has no intention of stepping up military ties with North Korea, Chinese military analysts and sources said, dismissing speculation in Taiwan that recent missile launches by the reclusive state had the backing of Beijing.

North Korea fired two rounds of short-range missiles on March 21 and 25, coinciding with an eight-day exercise in the Sea of Japan by a PLA flotilla – led by China’s first 10,000-tonne class Type 055 guided missile destroyer – which began on March 18.

US officials initially described the weapons as ballistic, but later revised their assessment to short-range cruise missiles, which are not covered by UN Security Council resolutions aimed at deterring Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

But the timing of the firings raised concerns, with Lu Li-shih, a former instructor at Taiwan’s naval academy in Kaohsiung, suggesting – in an article published last week by Taipei-based United Daily News – they were deliberately arranged to show close military cooperation between North Korea and China, at a time when both countries are at odds with the US.

“The firing range of the missiles launched from South Hamgyong province on March 25 covers almost the whole Sea of Japan, putting the PLA’s Nanchang flotilla under its coverage,” Lu told the South China Morning Post.

“Since it doesn’t make sense that Pyongyang would target the PLA fleet, but Japan, the tests stirred up speculation about whether North Korea had joined with the PLA for military exercises.”

But a military source close to the PLA, as well as defence experts, said Beijing – one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – would not support any missile tests conducted by Pyongyang. The source said Pyongyang had used the timing to give the impression of Beijing’s endorsement.