A Chinese military expert has reportedly claimed that North Korea is a threat to China.

In a report filed from Taiwan on Monday, Japan’s Kyodo News said that a military operations expert within China’s People’s Liberation Army posited the North as a security threat to China.

Kyodo said that the Chinese expert listed a total of five threats to China’s security, and the North was mentioned second after the U.S.

The report said although the North is still an ally of China diplomatically, it is also being considered a threat militarily that is tantamount to a hypothetical enemy depending on the advancement of its nuclear and missile programs.  

Meanwhile, the report mentioned the disputed Senkaku Islands, or Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea, as the third threat to China.

Vietnam, the Philippines and some other countries, which are waging sovereignty disputes with China over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, were mentioned as the fourth threat, while India was listed as the fifth threat. 

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