While Chinese and Russian warships conduct joint drills in what looks like a counter to tightening cooperation between the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies, North Korea’s forces remain back at the base.
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean forces remain at the base while Chinese and Russian warships conduct joint drills in what appears to be a counter to tightening cooperation between the United States and its Indo-Pacific allies.
North Korea’s odd-man-out status looks even more unlikely when viewed historically. Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang were aligned against U.S.-led forces during the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in a truce 70 years ago. Given this, the ever-bristling, risk-tolerant Pyongyang might appear to be a perfect regional partner for an anti-U.S. alliance, but experts say China and Russia keep North Korea at arm’s length for diplomatic, military and even reputational reasons.
Despite its hostility toward Washington, North Korea participated in none of the exercises despite some seeming overtures on both sides. “Open military cooperation with a rogue state would have a bad impact on the reputation of both China and Russia as North Korea is an open challenge to the U.N.-designated world system,” said Andrei Lankov, a Russian expert on North Korea who teaches at Seoul’s Kookmin University.
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