China deploys troops as North Korea plans another nuke test

Pyongyang threatens to blow-up the world again, preparing for its fifth nuclear test.

On Wednesday, China deployed troops along its border with North Korea as Pyongyang prepared for what will be its fifth nuclear test amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Beijing deployed 2,000 troops to the border, according to a statement by The Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, a nongovernmental organization based in Hong Kong.

This isn’t the first time China has deployed troops along the North Korean border. In January, after North Korea announced a purported "successful" hydrogen bomb test, China sent 3,000 soldiers to the ramparts. Similarly, in late 2013, China deployed troops following the execution of Kim Jong Un’s uncle-in-law, Jang Sung Taek.

Apart from observational and measuring functions, it remains to be seen what Beijing stands to gain by dispatching the troops. Relations between the long-time allies became strained in 2012 when Kim Jong Un assumed power. The Pyongyang regime has continued the advancement of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, despite repeated warnings from Beijing.
In December 2015, China announced it would no longer provide fossil fuel to North Korea, effectively cutting off the Kim regime’s last lifeline to the world community, as growing sanctions continue to take a toll on the country’s population.