The editor of an influential Communist Party journal in China has been suspended for suggesting that Beijing ought to abandon its long-time but troublesome ally North Korea.

Deng Yuwen said he was suspended because of the editorial he wrote for the Financial Times in Britain.  In it, he argued that the alliance was “outdated” and “no longer useful as a buffer against United States influence”.

Deng also worried that Pyongyang’s oft-unstable leadership might someday use its nuclear weapons capability against China.

“It is entirely possible that a nuclear-armed North Korea could try to twist China’s arm if Beijing were to fail to meet its demand or if the U.S. were to signal good will towards it,” Mr. Deng wrote, questioning Pyongyang’s commitment to its much larger and more powerful neighbor.

Deng is an important figure in reflecting China’s policy and dispersing Beijing’s opinions.  He’s also the deputy editor of Study Times, a weekly journal of the Central Party School, which trains rising official.  His editorial in the Financial Times coincided with the change in Chinese leadership, leading western governments to wonder if big changes were on the way for the Beijing-Pyongyang relationship.

Deng says he’s still being paid but has no idea if he’s going to get his day job back.