How to read Jilin’s precaution against nuclear attack
Jilin Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China in Northeast China’s Jilin Province, published a full page Wednesday introducing the common knowledge of nuclear weapons and self-protection measures in case of nuclear attack. The page went viral on the Internet.
Tensions run high on the Korean Peninsula. With six nuclear tests, Pyongyang is widely considered to own nuclear warheads. It successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile last month that can hit the continental US. As Washington and Seoul stepped up military pressure on Pyongyang, the possibilities of military conflicts are rising.
As Jilin borders North Korea, Jilin Daily’s nuclear-weapon page was immediately considered as a precaution against possible wars on the peninsula. But some say the content of the page was provided by the provincial office of civil air defense as part of regular national defense education and a public service advertisement.
In fact, Chinese authorities have been closely following what’s going on in the peninsula and readying themselves for any occurrence. They have endeavored to curb the peninsula from reaching the worst scenario and will make the utmost efforts to minimize repercussions for northeastern China in the event of war.
Many countries and regions, such as South Korea and Japan, have made introducing nuclear knowledge part of their national education and sometimes even conduct drills. Hence Jilin’s practice doesn’t necessarily mean the province faces the risk of nuclear attack. The Jilin office of civil air defense should have explained the background for the publicity to avert public misunderstanding.
Even if a war erupts on the peninsula, it is South Korea, Japan and the US bases in the Asia-Pacific that will likely be priority targets for North Korea. There is a slim chance that the US or North Korea will intentionally launch military attacks at China as they have no grounds. Meanwhile, as a powerful nuclear state, China will resolutely return like for like.
The deteriorating situation on the peninsula doesn’t mean war is unavoidable. China needs to brace for the worst scenario and nuclear-related publicity is needed. But we don’t need to panic.
Seoul and Tokyo are within the range of war on the peninsula, but they continue unaffected. Despite its adjacency to North Korea, Northeast China is safer than South Korea. Moreover, the current northwesterly wind on the peninsula is also favorable. The only disadvantage of Jilin is its proximity to Pyongyang’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
What the whole article talks about is the worst scenario on the peninsula. China opposes any military conflict and as a neighbor of North Korea, should take precautions to deal with any event. The Communist Party of China and the government are working relentlessly to defend the safety of people in Northeast China.