The paper from China Mobile, the country’s main state-owned telecoms company, stated that three villages and two cities are being targeted in the event rising world tensions result in a mass flooding of refugees across the rogue nation’s border.

Zhang Liangui, a professor of international strategic research at the Communist Party’s Central Party School, said: “It is highly possible that there is a conflict between North Korea and the United States now.

“What China does here is to be prepared for any kind of situation happening on the Korean Peninsula.”

The three villages are located in Changbai County while the two cities of Tumen and Hunchun are found in the northeastern border of Jilin province - the document was discovered on Weibo.

Tumen and Hunchun have been hosts for defectors from the hermit kingdom for over two decades.

Meanwhile, Jilin province is a mere 60 miles from Punggye-ri - the main location for North Korean test sites.

Last week the Jilin Daily newspaper advised residents on how to react in the event of a nuclear provocation from despot leader Kim Jong-un that included removing radioactive dust from exposed body parts and clothing.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Lu Kang, claimed he “hadn’t seen such reports” when questioned on the camps by reporters.

However, the document revealed that China Mobile’s manager inspected the five sites on December 2 after being requested to do so by the Changbai County government.

China Mobile was said to be involved to make sure internet connections are available for the camps.

In the paper, the company said: “Because the situation on the China-North Korea border has intensified lately, Changbai County government plans to set up five refugee sites in Changbai.”

Local businessmen have declared that temporary housing has already been constructed at some of the sites.

During an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton detailed that China has so far attempted to balance relations with both the US and China in an attempt to prevent an implosion of the Kim regime while also maintaining a close trade relationship with Donald Trump.

However, he stated that these tactics are “doomed to failure” and that Beijing will need to choose a side as tensions between the two nations rise - it appears that China is now preparing for the results of a potential escalation between the US and North Korea.

He stated: He said: “I think that those tactics are at some point doomed to failure because one side or the other is going to do something that makes the current Chinese position untenable but until that time they will play it as best as they can.

“They will try to placate both sides, they will try to placate Trump on one side by being seen to be doing something and then do just enough to make that work.

“But then, on the other hand, they will also be there to prop up the North Korean’s and make sure that they don’t fall down as a stack of dominoes would and that makes it difficult for them to do this in the long term.”

The military expert explained that Chinese fears of a North Korean refugee crisis are one of the biggest reasons for China attempting to please both sides.

He went on: “China is trying hard to exercise what leverage they can over North Korean’s, but they want to make sure that they don’t set up conditions that would allow for the collapse of the North Korean regime.

“They don’t want the refugees to come in, they don’t want the economic dislocation and they certainly don’t want a powerful unified Korea on their border.”