North Korean soldier shoots three Chinese dead

[Undesired Walrus]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia_pacific/10263325.stm

China says a North Korean border guard shot and killed three people on the Chinese side of the border last week.

A fourth person was injured in the incident in the north-eastern border town of Dandong, China said.

China has made a formal complaint to North Korea, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said.

And:

The two countries are normally close allies. It is unusual for China to make any public criticism of its neighbour.

Progress I suppose.

 

[coalesce]

Well, to be fair, the three DID look like South Korean ships.

Michael

 

[WildCat]

Well, to be fair, the three DID look like South Korean ships.

Michael

And one of them turned a cartwheel.

 

[coalesce]

And one of them turned a cartwheel.

I hate when that happens...

Wait! Maybe one of them was an air marshal trying to get on a plane with a gun...

Michael

 

[Cleon]

<CT mode ON>

I wonder if this actually happened, or if China's making it up.

China has to see the DPRK as something of a liability these days, doubly so since the Cheonan. Something like this could give them an excuse to distance themselves from Kim without losing face.


Just a random thought.

 

[coalesce]

Maybe, but that would mean that by pulling away from North Korea, China would, in essence, move closer to the United States. And given this article, I find that a little hard to believe.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...AR2010060704762.html?wprss=rss_print/asection

Michael

 

[Pardalis]

<CT mode ON>

I wonder if this actually happened, or if China's making it up.

China has to see the DPRK as something of a liability these days, doubly so since the Cheonan. Something like this could give them an excuse to distance themselves from Kim without losing face.


Just a random thought.

You forgot to turn the CT mode off.

 

[Bikewer]

At the same time, CNN has an article up this morning on the impending transfer of power from Kim to his son:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiap...d+(RSS:+World)&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
Difficult to say if this will presage any change in NK policies, but at present it appears they are dead-set on being confrontational.

 

[Captain.Sassy]

Maybe, but that would mean that by pulling away from North Korea, China would, in essence, move closer to the United States. And given this article, I find that a little hard to believe.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...AR2010060704762.html?wprss=rss_print/asection

Michael

I don't think that seeing eye to eye on some issues necessarily means that China would be 'moving closer' to the United States in general terms. Also you might have the carriage in front of the horse- China's interest isn't necessarily to oppose the US, but China at times opposes the US because of its interests.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

The fact that they did not just catch the bullets proves that their Kung-Fu was weak!

All those movies have just been propaganda, now is the time to attack!

 

[dudalb]

If NK suceeds in alienating the Chinese, they will have achieved the Paranoid's fantasy; The whole world will be against them.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

If NK suceeds in alienating the Chinese, they will have achieved the Paranoid's fantasy; The whole world will be against them.

Does the Democratic Republic of the Congo need a new buddy?

Shining examples of democracy should stick together.

 

[Wolfman]

Illegal trade -- including trafficking in children and women -- is common along that border. All of the reports in China seem to be emphasizing that the Chinese who were shot, were shot because they were suspected of crossing the border for illegal purposes.

China's not exactly ecstatic about this, but nor are they particularly upset. They routinely arrest/imprison Chinese caught doing this, and arrest/deport North Koreans who are caught. In short, it really doesn't seem like a particularly major political incident.

 

[Arrow]

Illegal trade -- including trafficking in children and women -- is common along that border. All of the reports in China seem to be emphasizing that the Chinese who were shot, were shot because they were suspected of crossing the border for illegal purposes.

China's not exactly ecstatic about this, but nor are they particularly upset. They routinely arrest/imprison Chinese caught doing this, and arrest/deport North Koreans who are caught. In short, it really doesn't seem like a particularly major political incident.

I was surprised, I have a Chinese friend living in N. Korean bordering Liaoning Province, and while he mentioned the shooting, he didn't seem upset or concerned by it.

 

[ComsatAngel2017]

Illegal trade -- including trafficking in children and women -- is common along that border. All of the reports in China seem to be emphasizing that the Chinese who were shot, were shot because they were suspected of crossing the border for illegal purposes.

China's not exactly ecstatic about this, but nor are they particularly upset. They routinely arrest/imprison Chinese caught doing this, and arrest/deport North Koreans who are caught. In short, it really doesn't seem like a particularly major political incident.

(Bolding mine). How is this possible? One gets the impression that the North Korean border zone is ten miles deep and consists of endless barbed wire, mines, rabid guard dogs and rabid guards. Is this not true of the NK/Chinese border?

Also, if it's not a major incident, why publicise it?

 

[Undesired Walrus]

I'm pretty sure there is a famous river dividing a certain part of China and North Korea. In the winter it is alleged some North Koreans flee over its frozen surface to China. It's said by the winter's end that the ice is riddled with bullet holes.

 

[Cleon]

(Bolding mine). How is this possible? One gets the impression that the North Korean border zone is ten miles deep and consists of endless barbed wire, mines, rabid guard dogs and rabid guards. Is this not true of the NK/Chinese border?

That's true of the DMZ between North and South Korea, but not between Korea and China. There's even a bridge.

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Maybe he didn't know they were Chinese. Those orientals all look alike.

 

[Darth Rotor]

North Korean soldier shoots three Chinese dead

Can we arrange to get this guy about two billion more bullets? Seems he has a good idea ...

(OK, y'all are gonna throw rocks at me for that one. Cast away ... )

 

[Darth Rotor]

Illegal trade -- including trafficking in children and women -- is common along that border. All of the reports in China seem to be emphasizing that the Chinese who were shot, were shot because they were suspected of crossing the border for illegal purposes.

Funny, that sounds sorta like the Texican/Messkin border.

DR