Approximately 8,000 Korean People’s Army personnel are expected to enter combat in the currently occupied Kursk region soon. ukrainian armyUS defense officials believe so.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin claims The allegation that the soldiers were equipped with Russian uniforms and weapons to conceal their collaboration is a sign that both countries are aware that North Korea’s entry into the conflict could create a sense of urgency in the international community if an outside power were to become involved.

If any country can be expected to approve this joint military operation, it would be China, the current third musketeer in geopolitical turmoil in Asia.

However, the Chinese Communist Party was hesitant to participate in this situation.

At a press conference on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian distanced Beijing from North Korea’s decisions when asked for comment and said: Russia.

“We have noted some recent reports on this and responses from various parties. “DPRK and Russia are two independent sovereign states and how to develop bilateral relations is an issue in itself,” he said. “China is not aware of the details of bilateral exchanges and cooperation between North Korea and Russia.”

He reiterated the Chinese government’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and said the country “hopes the parties will work to reduce tensions and continue to adhere to the political solution to the Ukraine crisis,” without elaborating further.

This comment came a day later US Secretary of State Antony Blinken He announced that they contacted their Chinese counterparts to discuss the issue.

“I think they know well the concerns we have and our expectations that they will use the influence they have to work to thwart these activities, both verbally and deed,” Blinken said at a press conference with South Korean leaders. Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky He expressed shock at China’s “silence” during a wide-ranging national security update posted on social media on Thursday.

“North Korea’s actions are not random; It has strategic goals. “I am surprised by China’s silence,” the Ukrainian president wrote. “I cannot say that China is on our side, but as the guarantor of regional security, its silence is remarkable.”

President Xi Jinping’s long series of back-and-forth state visits Russian President Vladimir Putinand North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un have positioned the trio as an emerging military coalition over the past few years.

Kim, normally a cautious leader averse to leaving his reclusive kingdom, traveled by train to Beijing in January 2019 for a rare state visit with Xi ahead of his meeting with then-President Donald Trump next month. Xi responded that summer with the first visit to North Korea by a major Chinese leader in more than 14 years.

Putin had been visiting China every year since 2022, when the invasion of Ukraine began. Xi visited Putin in 2023 and signed a joint agreement to expand cooperation between the two countries. Room Attended the 16th annual BRICS summit In Russia in October of this year.

Kim also made diplomatic trips to Russia in 2019 and 2023; it was a show of loyalty that Putin rewarded with one of the very few official visits by a foreign leader to North Korea in 2024; Here the two dictators were photographed laughing and playing in luxury cars. for state media.

After Russia’s first attacks on Ukraine in early 2022, China pursued a policy of neither supporting nor condemning Putin’s decision. Chinese Communist Party leaders have consistently advanced calls for peace and made overtures to facilitate such negotiations.

China’s political closeness to Russia makes these gestures both suspicious and valuable to Ukraine.

Zelensky said in an interview in May that he wanted China to be involved in peace talks because Xi’s voice would have an impact on Putin. This openness was complicated by Ukraine accusing China of pressuring other countries not to attend the peace conference in June. Switzerland.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Ukrainian president on Thursday floated the idea of ​​an “Asian Security Alliance,” a hypothetical coalition with Japan. South Koreaand China, which will rein in North Korea and keep the East Asian region stable.

“Both Japan and South Korea are strong, civilized countries, and reaching out to China to counter North Korean aggression could be important because North Korea is actively pulling the region into a war,” Zelensky said. “What they did is not accidental; they want Russia’s support in return.”

There is already dialogue between the countries through the annual China-Japan-South Korea trilateral summit, which met in May this month. But Zelensky’s proposed alliance still seems unlikely due to long-standing political tensions between the three members.