Vladimir Putin’s decision to carry out what he still calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine is changing the balance of global forces. This week, the Russian president visited North Korea, one of the most isolated countries in the world, in search of weapons to sustain the offensive. But the bond deepened with the signing of a “mutual defense agreement in case of aggression.” This alliance has alarmed Washington and its allies because it reinforces the power of its opponents, but it also worries China.
The Kim dynasty It has many peculiarities. In 2002, after the attack on the twin towers, the George W. Bush government incorporated it into the “Axis of evil” that threatened the Western world made up of Iran, Iraq and North Korea. But in 2006, its then leader Kim Jong-il surprised with the explosion of his first atomic bomb. Since that moment, the country faces several sanctions from the UN Security Council, which were supported by Russia and China.
Although in March 2024 the situation changed. China abstained and Russia vetoed a motion to extend the UN Sanctions Committee Panel of Experts. For 18 years, it was in charge of monitoring compliance with nuclear penalties in North Korea and was dissolved. The resolution has dislocated Washington, since it is left without control mechanisms towards the nuclear proliferation of the eastern dictatorship.
Cornered by international sanctions, it has been China the great economic supporter of Kim Jong-un’s government and is its main strategic and commercial partner. Both share a border of more than 1,400 kilometers. One of Beijing’s priorities is to keep the North Korean leader in power because it considers him a barrier between their common border and US troops stationed in South Korea.
The leaders of North Korea and China together. (Archive, Clarín)
Although the North Korean government also benefits from Russia’s support to further ease the pressure. They did not disclose the fine print of the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement” but it is believed that they signed commitments for the supply of food, oil and technology cutting edge for the development of nuclear weapons, missiles, submarines and satellites. This added to the security pact, which includes a mutual defense clauseunder which each country agrees to help the other in the event of possible external aggression.
A twist of fate has favored North Korea. Its military has long been ridiculed for its outdated technology and extensive arsenal of Soviet-era weapons such as artillery shells. These seemed to have become obsolete and would have been difficult to locate if it were not for the fact that now Putin, in his war of attrition in Ukraine, desperately needs them.
Meanwhile, this rapprochement between Russia and North Korea places Xi Jinping’s government in a place that it does not like at all. The United States could place it within a “new axis of evil” formed by North Korea and Russia. By aligning itself with two states isolated from the international arena, China exposes itself to the consequences that the actions of two unpredictable leaders can bring.
Chinese President Xi Jinping during the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.(Efe)
The Asian country cannot deny its influence on Russia and North Korea. A few days before the invasion of Ukraine, Xi declared his “limitless” friendship with Putin. Although the relationship has had ups and downs, The United States government accuses China of being the main supporter of the Russian offensive in Ukraine. As? Buying huge amounts of oil, consumer goods and dual-use technologies (such as chips) to maintain its military infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the relationship with North Korea has been deepening ties since September 2023. It was after sending a delegation to Pyongyang within the framework of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic. The Head of Chinese diplomacy highlighted a few months ago the “unbreakable” policy of both governments to maintain, consolidate and develop “traditional friendship”. And he added that “It doesn’t matter how the international situation changes.”
It must be taken into account that North Korea is the only country with which China has a defense treaty. Its about “Treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance” of 1961, by which Beijing undertakes to contribute to its ally in areas of culture, economy, technological and social development. Although it is not limited only to commercial support. One of its fundamental clauses provides that in the event of military aggression, one nation had to come to the defense of the other.
In this context, President Joe Biden saw an urgent need. In August 2023 at Camp David – an emblematic site of North American diplomacy – he sought to consolidate a permanent alliance with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. The three agreed to strengthen cooperation on security and economic matters, concerned about North Korea’s arms race and China’s influence in the region.
The American leader He managed to make two neighbors in tension such as Japan and South Korea become allies. Added to that the Camp David agreement means for China an increase in foreign military presence on its border. Which is read by Xi Jinping as an increase in the risk of confrontation or armed conflict in the region. The Asian government has made a statement in which it blames the United States for creating alliances that will lead to a new Cold War.
US President Joe Biden greets South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David (Efe)
The baton of the global narrative at this time has been taken by this “new axis of evil” that considers the United States guilty of contemporary evils that prevent the flourishing of a multipolar world. Before Putin’s visit to North Korea, official Russian media such as Russia Today and Sputnik headlined “North Korea, isolated for decades, is welcomed into the multipolar world.” Also that Pyongyang has been a victim “of the dictation” of the United States.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s main state newspaper denounced the “global neocolonialist dictatorship” of the United States and praised its leader Kim Jong-un for resisting “the economic pressure, provocation, blackmail and military blackmail of the United States.” . In this context China chooses not to confront Joe Biden’s country and present itself as a peaceful nation and opposed to dividing the world into rival sides. Although his actions say otherwise.
The truth is that the unifying background of the new realignments is based on the war in Ukraine. The agreement signed this week between North Korea and Russia is exasperating because it reinforces the power of two countries with rebellious, unpredictable rulers unwilling to follow the rules of the international system. Kim called it “the strongest treaty ever created” that will help accelerate the creation of a “new multipolar world.” Meanwhile for Putin, it is a “revolutionary document.” History will tell.
