President of Russia, Vladimir Putin and Dictator of North Korea, Kim Jong Un have met to discuss an arms trade between the 2 countries. Because of the war in Ukraine, Russia has asked North Korea for artillery shells and anti-tank missiles in exchange for Russia’s advanced satellite technology and nuclear-powered submarines. This can cause problems for China because this means that North Korea has chosen Russia over China. The problems don’t stop there, China is officially a non-participant/bystander in the Ukraine war and does not want to get involved for fear of provoking NATO and the United States. North Korea and Russian ties puts China in a rough spot that will be difficult to navigate without ending in a nuclear-powered country displeased with them.
This is important for the region because all three countries are nuclear powers and collaboration between them can make every other country in the East Asian region feel under threat. I believe that this is something typical of North Korea and Russia because both are currently exiled by the rest of the world so it makes sense for them to align together. North Korea becomes a much stronger power with advanced technology and submarines while Russia gets the ammunition they need to continue their war in Ukraine. China is stuck between the two as a bystander, if they cut ties with either countries they lose valuable allies, if they collaborate and aid either country then they are sanctioned by the United States and NATO, there seems to be no way to win for China thanks to the North Korean – Russian alliance.
In class we’ve talked about how countries prefer to handle tense situations diplomatically rather than with punishment and war. I think that is China’s best option right now, to keep a strong diplomatic presence in both countries but be careful not to overstep any boundaries that NATO may have set. We’ve learned about how important diplomacy can be and in this situation it’s a necessity for China to remain in the good graces of NATO and its allies in North Korea and Russia.