On December 1, 2014, Huanqiu (the Chinese edition of Global Times) published an article titled, “If North Korea Collapses, China Can’t Save it; China Will Not Go to War for North Korea.” The author of the article was Lieutenant General Wang Hongguang, former deputy commander of the Nanjing military region, People’s Liberation Army of China. Wang wrote the article in response to another article that Li Dunqiu, a research fellow at Zhejiang University, wrote and which Huanqiu published on November 27, 2014, titled, “(China) Can’t ‘Abandon’ North Korea, Its 65 Year Long Term Partner.”
First, General Wang did not agree with Scholar Li that China and the DPRK are consistent in sharing fundamental interests. Second, Wang said that he does not think North Korean’s political system and ideology have anything to do with socialism or Marxism. China and North Korea are no longer comrades. Third, North Korea does not listen to China’s advice. If North Korea and South Korea (backed by the U.S.) get into a war, and China does not support it, it will not be because China has abandoned North Korea. Fourth, North Korea as China’s "strategic barrier" does not play a significant role in modern information warfare.
Finally, Wang concluded, “The collapse of a nation is not determined by external forces. If a government cannot get its people’s support, it will ‘collapse’ sooner or later.” He continued, "Now there is no more ‘socialist camp.’ It is not necessary for China’s younger generation to fight a war for another country,” “China will neither court nor ‘abandon’ North Korea. This should be China’s basic attitude."
Source: Huanqiu, December 1, 2014 and November 27, 2014
http://mil.huanqiu.com/observation/2014-12/5221706.html
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/opinion_world/2014-11/5217365.html