A state-run newspaper in China today asked people living in a province bordering North Korea to be prepared for nuclear disaster as it published a list of tips on how they can protect themselves in the event of a nuclear attack, a sign reflecting Beijing's concern about a disaster.
State-run Jilin Daily published a lengthy article with the headline 'Knowledge about Nuclear Weapons and Protection', amid strong war rhetoric between North Korea and the US after a recent long range missile test by Pyongyang.
The daily did not mention North Korea in the article, but said when the US dropped a nuclear bomb in the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945, fires, radiation and a blast wave had killed more than 70,000 people, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
Zhang Liangui, a professor of international strategic research at Chinas Central Party School, said: "North Korea has fired a new missile that can reach the US and the US is conducting large scale navy drills with South Korea".
"We cannot say war will come, but in situations like this, China has to educate people more about nuclear weapons," Zhang told the paper.
State-run Global Times also highlighted the Jilin report, saying "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."
"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," it said.
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