"The Chinese and North Koreans are like lips and teeth and the peoples and armies of the two countries have a blood relationship," declared Chinese Spymaster General Xiong Guangkai. He is the man thought to have implemented China's secret plan to arm North Korea. "China has a long standing policy of supporting the North Korean state," explains East Asian political expert Larry Niksch. "It relies on North Korea as a buffer state for its North Eastern border and is keen to prevent Korean reunification with US troops on Korean soil."

Intelligence officials have long suspected that Pakistan and North Korea were involved in an illicit arms trade. "There is pretty strong evidence that Pakistan, either officially or unofficially, gave North Korea classified gas centrifuge information," states physicist David Albright. This information would have enabled North Korea to build nuclear weapons. Pakistan is also believed to have provided crucial equipment for Pyongyang's nuclear programme and to have helped test North Korean nuclear missiles. But the role that China played in masterminding this trade is only now becoming apparent.

The CIA's 2002 National Intelligence Estimate stated that Islamabad was smuggling thousands of uranium centrifuges to North Korea every year. With just a few thousand of these, Pyongyang would be able to build three warheads a year and have enough surplus fission material to sell to terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda. But as Chinese expert William Triplett points out, this covert trade would have been impossible without the aid of China. "In the first place, the North Koreans and Pakistanis cannot run a cargo plane to each others' capitals without stopping to refuel in China," he explains.

In fact, the assistance provided by China went way beyond turning a blind eye while planes refuelled. Aware that an armed North Korea would also help maintain the 'nuclear heat' on its neighbours, China helped Pakistan develop into a nuclear state. It then instructed it to share this information with North Korea. By going through intermediates like Pakistan, China was able to ensure that it always had 'clean hands' and avoid censure by the White House.

Indeed, this arrangement might have continued unhindered had it not been for calculated leaks to the press from the US intelligence community. Agents were alarmed that the State Department, dependent on Pakistan in the War on Terror, was failing to take appropriate action. Instead, the US was helplessly watching as Islamabad used US gifted planes to transport their deadly cargo.

Proliferation is now complete and both Pakistan and North Korea have nuclear weapons. Pyongyang has already trained its missiles on America. The consequences of China's actions will only become apparent in the future.

Dir: Iqbal Malhotra
AIM Television