China could be arming North Korea, claims ex-US defence chief
Missiles launched by North Korea may be proof that China is arming North Korea, former US defence chief Dr Bruce Bechtol believes. The American weapons expert says the submarine missile launched by North Korea last week was the same as China's JL-1. If true, it means China is flouting international sanctions banning trade with North Korea, which the communist country has been reluctant to do so in the past, and reveals a troubling development for global political relations. 

"Just looking at the JL-1 and the North Korean SLBM, they’re looking exactly the same,” he said before claiming that China has a long track record of providing illegal weapons to North Korea including “transporter-erector-launchers (TEL)" which is a system used for launching missiles.

Bechtol also noted that in joint research with space and weapons expert Tal Inbar of Israel’s Fisher Institute, the two reached identical conclusions that the North Korean missile was acquired from China.

"He and I agree that there is really not any other missile that looks similar at all to this North Korean missile whereas the JL-1 looks like a carbon copy of it," he said.