China has reportedly changed the commander of its 40th Group Army in the Shenyang Military Region near the border with North Korea.

A Hong Kong-based pro-Chinese newspaper reports that the personnel change is drawing attention, since it followed the Shenyang Military Region’s reinforcement of troops in the border area amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Based in Jinzhou in Liaoning Province near China’s border with North Korea, the 40th Group Army is tasked with preparing for possible emergencies on the Korean Peninsula.

The army group is known to have conducted a live-fire drill near the border in late March after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test in February.