China has some hard-hitting advice for ally North Korea following its detonation of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb: Grow up, because nuclear weapons are totally outdated.
Following strong statements from the Chinese foreign ministry condemning Wednesday's nuclear test and denying any prior knowledge of North Korea's plans, state-owned media published critical editorials replete with acerbic advice for the reclusive state.
"That nuclear weapons mean everything is an outdated mentality and does not fit a globalized world," the Global Times wrote in an un-bylined opinion piece published on Wednesday evening.
"If Pyongyang is determined to develop its economy, it should engage with the outside world, including the West. Nuclear weapons are not the solution to its domestic woes."
"This new nuclear test may inspire North Korea in the short-term," the Global Times went on.
"But it will generate more pressure from the UN and more sanctions imposed by the international community. The international environment for North Korea will deteriorate, and the internal driving forces for economic development are limited."
While the editorials are not official pronouncements, they serve as an indication of the thinking within the Chinese Communist Party, which is now caught not just in a tough spot diplomatically, but which also has to address concerns at home about radiation along its northeastern border with North Korea.
The Beijing media mouthpieces also did not waste any time in pulling the U.S. into the fray, noting that the country was the world's biggest nuclear power.
"The U.S. may be hesitant about launching military strikes on North Korea, but it is good at disrupting developing countries by disintegrating cohesion or initiating color revolutions," said the Global Times.
China Daily editor Zhu Ping warned, meanwhile, that China "should not bear the brunt of the deadlock" between the U.S. and North Korea in formally ending the Korean War.
There seems to be no doubt among the media commentators that China-North Korea ties will worsen in the aftermath of the hydrogen bomb detonation.
"If North Korea keeps doing such tests, it will hurt social stability in these Chinese regions, posing a big challenge to the Chinese government. Pyongyang must consider the long-term negative impact on Beijing-Pyongyang ties and its own development," said the Global Times.
But "it will be extremely wrong if the U.S. thinks it can just stand by and exploit the deteriorating ties between China and [North Korea]," China Daily added.
On Wednesday, China's state news agency, Xinhua, wrote that the test was at odds with the goal of de-nuclearization, adding that any action that disrupted the stability of Northeast Asia was "undesirable and unwise."