Chinese President Xi Jinping is increasingly wary of the deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea, fearing that it may weaken Beijing’s influence over Pyongyang. Reports indicate that China is not interested in a formal military alliance between itself, Russia, and North Korea.
As the war in Ukraine continues, Russia has become increasingly reliant on North Korean resources. According to South Korean intelligence, from October 2024, North Korea has dispatched over 16,000 troops to Russia and supplied more than 15 million artillery shells, alongside dozens of KN-23 and KN-24 missiles. In exchange, North Korea receives financial support and access to sensitive military technologies from Russia, including air defense systems, drone technologies, and naval reactor systems.
Beijing is also concerned that with Russian aid, North Korea may become more powerful, potentially leading to new provocations and miscalculations from Pyongyang. This could strengthen security cooperation among the United States, South Korea, and Japan, and even push Seoul and Tokyo towards seeking nuclear weapons. Moreover, China is wary of a regional conflict that could trigger a refugee crisis across the Yalu River.
In the past 18 months, Russia and North Korea have conducted 23 high-level visits involving ministers, compared to only eight such visits between China and North Korea, according to Forbes. For Moscow, collaboration with Pyongyang primarily serves as a means to acquire necessary resources for its war efforts, while North Korea benefits financially and technologically. For China, however, this partnership presents more challenges than opportunities, risking a loss of influence over North Korea and facing a more unpredictable neighbor.
In August, Putin claimed that relations between Moscow and Pyongyang had reached an “unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership,” emphasizing their active cooperation across all fronts to ensure regional security and stability. He also expressed intentions to build a “more equitable, truly democratic world order,” a notion he had previously discussed regarding relations with China.
