China has massed over 150,000 men of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF); hordes of tanks and other offensive military hardware along its 1,400 kilometer-long border with North Korea in a mammoth show of force apparently meant to attain two contradictory goals.

State-run Chinese media, including the Global Times, said the deployment of the troops to the Chinese provinces of Liaoning and Jilin bordering North Korea was made ahead of persistent reports North Korea plans to explode its sixth nuclear bomb on or before April 15, the 105th birthday of North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung.

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Kim also ignited the Korean War on June 25, 1950 in an attempt to subjugate South Korea and bring the entire Korean peninsula his rule. China fought alongside North Korea against a coalition of 16 nations led by the U.S. that fought under the United Nations Command.

Global Times only a few days ago published an editorial defining China's reasons for invading North Korea. It said the threat of a "nuclear leakage or pollution" that damages the environment of northeast China (which shares a border with North Korea) will trigger a response from China.

"This is the bottom line of China, which means China will never allow such situation to happen. If the bottom line is touched, China will employ all means available including the military means to strike back," said the editorial.

The northeastern Chinese provinces of Liaoning and Jilin share borders with North Korea. These two provinces and Heilongjiang are part of the Northern Theater Command, one of five new war zones of the People's Liberation Army.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, said it wasn't aware of any build-up of Chinese troops along the country's northeastern border with Korea and blamed South Korean media for the war mongering.

Global Times, which is owned by the People's Daily (the newspaper of the Communist Party of China,  cited South Korean diplomats as saying it was true China held "military drills" along the North Korean border.

There have also been reports in Chinese state-run media that China and South Korea agreed to take new measures against North Korea if the rogue state conducts another nuclear test or launch an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Analysts, however, speculate the massing of Chinese troops isn't only aimed at destroying North Koreans nuclear weapons-making facilities.  It might also be aimed at preventing the U.S. from launching devastating missile strikes at these facilities.

One of these experts said China will definitely try to prevent a U.S. attack on North Korea by deploying PLAGF forces along its border with North Korea. The logic is that the presence of Chinese forces should deter the U.S. from bombing North Korea's nuclear facilities, which are located along the border with China, because an attack will run the risk of igniting a larger conflict.

Positioning PLAGF group armies along the border might also persuade North Korean officials who oppose Kim Jong-un to launch a coup d'etat and overthrow the despotic young leader.

China has no intention of destroying North Korea, which serves as a buffer state against the U.S. and South Korea, but is only interested in deposing Kim. By supporting anti-Kim forces, China hopes to exert significant influence over any post-Kim government.

Should the reports of 150,000 men of the PLAGF and their equipment massing at the border be true, this will mean a large part of the fighting strength of the Northern Theater Command responsible for the North Korean border area has been re-located to the border.

Tagschina, People's Liberation Army Ground Force, North Korea, Kim Il Sung, Liaoning, Jilin, Kim Jong Un