Financial Times on North Korean Troops in Ukraine: Why It Concerns China.

China expresses concern over the deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea. This could lead to significant geopolitical changes in the region. According to Financial Times, Beijing already expressed its discontent before the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russia in the war against Ukraine. China did not call North Korea a "friendly neighboring country" during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the PRC.

Experts point out several key reasons that worry Beijing, including the disruption of the power balance on the Korean Peninsula, the risk of strengthening the military alliance of the US, Japan, and South Korea, the threat of a renewed Cold War-era confrontation, and the potential loss of influence over North Korea as a buffer state.

The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty between North Korea and Russia, signed in June, causes particular concern.

“Participation of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine could make North Korea a legitimate target for Kyiv, potentially threatening to draw China into the conflict due to existing treaty obligations to protect North Korea,” notes Shanghai international relations professor Shen Dingli.

The Dean of the School of International Studies at Nanjing University Zhu Feng points out that China finds itself in a complex situation and this is a real dilemma.

The first North Korean units have already arrived in Kursk region.