Recently, the top military leader of the United States expressed concerns that the defense agreement reached between Russian President Putin and North Korea on Sunday (June 23) could potentially escalate tensions between China and Russia.
For a long time, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been a key ally of North Korea. General C.Q. Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, stated during an overseas visit to reporters, “Now there’s another player in the mix, which could increase friction between China and Russia.”
“So, it will be interesting to see how the dynamics among these three countries unfold,” he said.
Analysts suggest that the agreement signed between North Korea and Russia on June 19 could weaken the CCP’s influence over these two neighboring countries, altering the existing relationship structure between China, Russia, and North Korea. Any escalation of instability could potentially disrupt China’s global economic and strategic ambitions.
Tong Zhao, a senior researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Reuters, “China (CCP) holds reservations about deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, as it could undermine Beijing’s near-monopoly on geopolitical influence over North Korea.”
“China (CCP) is also cautious not to let outsiders perceive the existence of an actual alliance relationship between Beijing, Moscow, and Pyongyang,” Zhao said, “as it is not conducive to maintaining pragmatic cooperation between China (CCP) and major Western countries.”
Last week, Putin stated that Russia might provide weapons to North Korea, viewing it as a response to Western arming of Ukraine.
Brown acknowledged that the United States is monitoring the agreement but also raised doubts about its scope, questioning whether Moscow would provide North Korea with everything it wants.
US officials believe North Korea is seeking fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies from Russia.
Brown stated, “My response to the agreement is that it is a broad agreement with limited constraints, indicating a desire for cooperation without being overly bound.”
The agreement signed by Putin and Kim Jong Un promises that in the event of armed aggression against either party, immediate military assistance will be provided.
Putin has expressed that Moscow hopes cooperation with North Korea will serve as a deterrent against the West but has emphasized that there is no need to send North Korean soldiers to Ukraine.
The US and Ukraine have stated that North Korea has supplied Russia with a large number of artillery shells and ballistic missiles, though Moscow and Pyongyang have both denied this.