China, which has a formal, mutual defence alliance with North Korea, is apprehensive about the stability of Kim Jong-il's regime. The Asian giant is planning to send troops to North Korea in case the nuclear arsenal falls into the wrong hands due to political instability, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

The report states that Beijing [Images] is feeling threatened by the possibility of a rapid breakdown in the Kim Jong-il-led North Korean government.

China would need the backing of the United Nations before sending in the People's Liberation Army. However, if the UN is reluctant to sanction China's plans, it may go ahead and act unilaterally, said the Daily Telegraph.

The report reveals China's changing attitude towards this fellow Communist nation. The cordial relations between the two countries was affected after North Korea defied the international community to conduct a nuclear test in October 2006.

The report points out that the shift in China's attitude also marks its desire to play a more assertive and influential role in international affairs

Image: The People's Liberation Army of China

Photograph: Alex Hofford-Pool/Getty Images