Chinese leader Xi Jinping is worried that ties between Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are getting closer, writes The Wall Street Journal, citing diplomats and officials.
Putin's joint visit to China and North Korea, they said, could also heighten Western fears about a three-way authoritarian axis that has left Beijing in diplomatic isolation.
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The article points out that the Chinese side has made it clear to the Kremlin that Beijing prefers to develop bilateral ties rather than the tripartite alliance previously proposed by Russia.
“China avoids the prospect of trilateral cooperation between the three countries.” , – said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, adding that Beijing fears being caught between two “unpredictable partners”.
Dennis Wilder, a former US intelligence officer and now a researcher at Georgetown University, noted that Beijing is concerned about Russia's ability to help North Korea build up its nuclear capabilities.
“China wants North Korea to be a hidden threat in Northeast Asia, while maintaining the status quo,” he said.
That said, Kim Jr. has conducted more than three times as many missile tests as his father and grandfather combined since taking power in 2011, according to the WSJ.
“Such actions make China nervous as Beijing seeks to maintain a strategic buffer zone in North Korea vis-à-vis South Korea, which supports the US and Japan. For this, Beijing needs stability”, – the article emphasizes.
The publication writes that, to China's relief, Putin did not head to Pyongyang immediately after several rounds of negotiations with Xi Jinping. At the same time, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that preparations for this visit are progressing.
Putin's visit to China – what was reported
As The New York Times wrote, the talks between Putin and Xi Jinping were organized in such a way as to demonstrate not only the strategic focus of the two powerful autocratic leaders against the West, but also a personal connection .
The show of community spirit was said to be the final touch in the negotiations, which culminated in a joint statement against the US. The statement promised that Russia and China will cooperate more closely in such important areas as energy, space and military affairs.