Intro LO:
In line with several earlier blogs, my first and foremost thought was this one: Can China – or anyone else – ever trust Russia ??
There are several Wikipedia articles on (military) conflicts between China and Russia, which partly relate to Russia assisting in the Mongol Empire attacks on China:
- The ancient, complicated and violent China-Mongolia relations;
- Sino-Russian border conflicts (1652–1689);
- Sino-Soviet conflict (1929);
- Sino-Soviet split (during Cold War);
- Sino-Soviet border conflict (1969);
- Territorial disputes of the People’s Republic of China;
- The final China-Russia border (since early 2000’s), and
- The Conversation-2023: Mongolia: squeezed between China and Russia fears ‘new cold war’.
The Russian use of North Korean troops against Ukraine makes one wonder about the ancient saying: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If Russia is a friend of North Korea, then China might be an enemy.
This explains the Bloomberg article North Korea gives Xi a headache: might Russia once use North Korean troops against China??
Bloomberg: North Korea Joining Putin’s War in Ukraine Gives Xi a Headache
By: Soo-Hyang Choi
Date: 29 October 2024
“North Korea’s dispatch of thousands of troops to Russia has left Ukraine and its allies racing to figure out exactly how far Kim Jong Un will go to help Vladimir Putin.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed that some North Korean military units have been sent to the Kursk region of Russia which Ukrainian forces occupied this year, a move he called a “significant escalation.”
While it’s unlikely that 10,000 or so North Korean soldiers will tip the balance, fears are growing that Pyongyang’s direct involvement could expand the war. In response, the presidents of Ukraine and South Korea agreed to exchange intelligence.
Kim has numerous incentives to help Russia. He has received aid for North Korea’s sanction-hit economy and technical support to upgrade the nation’s weapons systems in exchange for sending millions of rounds of artillery shells and scores of ballistic missiles to Putin, according to the US and South Korea.
Kim is also getting a partner with a nuclear arsenal to back him up. Russia blocked a United Nations panel from continuing its sanctions monitoring on Pyongyang, forcing the US and its allies to launch a new mechanism outside the global body to keep an eye on North Korea’s activities.
This is concerning for Ukraine, the US and Europe. But it’s also a worry for China, one of Putin’s biggest diplomatic backers since the war began.
While President Xi Jinping supports Russia in pushing back against the US, Beijing has largely complied with American sanctions and requests to avoid direct military support.
China has stayed quiet on North Korea’s deployment to Russia, a sign it’s not happy with Kim adding more risks to the geopolitical landscape just as the Communist Party struggles to revive its domestic economy.
As much as Beijing opposes the US imposing its views on the world, it equally doesn’t like getting pushed into a corner by a smaller neighbor.”
Source:
Bloomberg, Balance of Power, 29 October 2024: North Korea Joining Putin’s War in Ukraine Gives Xi a Headache
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