Page 180 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

in future discussions on universal values of non-proliferation,
the international community might question China’s support
and protection for the Kim Jong-Un regime.

Therefore, China welcomes support from and cooperation
with both Russia and North Korea on sensitive issues
pertaining to U.S.-China relations. However, China perceives
the “three versus three” alignment dynamic in Northeast Asia
as not advantageous. Furthermore, China could be concerned
that the strengthening of multilateral cooperation among
North Korea, China and Russia would be exploited by the U.S.
as another reason to reinforce its own rival threesome.

Furthermore, unlike North Korea, China opposes the “new
Cold War” characterization and the emergence of the “three
versus three” alignment as reminiscent of the Cold War era.
As a key example, in his speech at the G20 Summit held
in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022, President Xi Jinping
mentioned that “human civilization has already entered the
21st century and the Cold War mentality is outdated.”

Additionally, in March 2023, Article 1 of the joint statement
issued at the China-Russia summit that was held upon
President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, emphasized that the
“China-Russia relationship is not akin to the military political
alliance of the Cold War era.” Article 5 stated that China and
Russia expressed their opposition to “the Cold War mentality,”
bloc confrontation, and exclusive circles targeting specific
countries.” Finally, in Article 9, it was pointed out that the U.S.
was pursuing an Indo-Pacific strategy based on Cold War
thinking.” 8

180 Section III : South Korea-Japan-U.S. Cooperation: How to Deter Pyongyang and Dissuade Beijing