US official: With eye on North Korea, China puts bombers on 'high alert'

Washington (CNN)Chinese air force land-attack, cruise-missile-capable bombers were put "on high alert" on Wednesday as the US sees evidence that the Chinese military is preparing to respond to a potential situation in North Korea, a US defense official tells CNN.

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The official said the US has also seen an extraordinary number of Chinese military aircraft being brought up to full readiness through intensified maintenance.

These recent steps by the Chinese are assessed as part of an effort to "reduce the time to react to a North Korea contingency," the official said.



Beijing was "gravely concerned" about North Korea's recent nuclear and missile activities while simultaneously praising Washington's approach to the issue.

"American officials did make some positive and constructive remarks ... such as using whatever peaceful means possible to resolve the (Korean) Peninsula nuclear issue. This represents a general direction that we believe is correct and should be adhered to," Lu said.

But one senior administration official cautioned that the China-centric strategy was still in an early stage, and that "there are many more stages to go."













China & North Korea: A complicated relationship 01:13

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