The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online. The name of the issuing body has been omitted to protect the source.

All websites must stop reposting the video content from Phoenix Television’s “Yu Yingli: U.S. Threats of Military Force Against North Korea Puts Pressure on China.” (February 17, 2016) [Chinese]

Following North Korea’s fourth nuclear weapons test last month, sixth long-range missile launch earlier this month, and analysts‘ warnings that Pyongyang could soon carry out a fifth underground nuclear test, the U.S. has deployed an additional Patriot missile battery and has flown F-22 fighter jets in South Korean airspace. As tensions on the Korean Peninsula rise, a Chinese military advisor today warned that Beijing must prepare for the fallout of a potential military strike against North Korea—but must not be willing to “again make a national sacrifice for an unadvisable regime.”

On February 15, in an interview with Phoenix Television, Shanghai Institute of International Studies North Korea analyst Yu Yingli said, “If the U.S. does not eliminate the possibility of a military response to settle the North Korean nuclear problem, then China must likewise not eliminate the possibility of a military response to the Taiwan Strait problem.” The video segment of Dr. Yu’s comment (still viewable on video aggregation website v1.cn) has been removed from Phoenix Television’s website, but the text of her quote remains.

Since directives are sometimes communicated orally to journalists and editors, who then leak them online, the wording published here may not be exact. The date given may indicate when the directive was leaked, rather than when it was issued. CDT does its utmost to verify dates and wording, but also takes precautions to protect the source.