Page 182 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

China and Russia exchanged views and adjusted positions
on international and regional issues of common interest.
Consequently, despite Wang Yi’s successive meetings with
Foreign Minister Lavrov and President Putin, there was no
public mention of current North Korea-related issues nor
trilateral cooperation.

China, based on historical experiences, is adopting a wait-
and-see approach. It anticipates that despite Pyongyang’s
strengthening relations with Russia and other major
powers, North Korea will pursue diplomacy with China
again. First it will strengthen relations to a certain extent
for the maintenance of the Kim family’s hereditary regime
focused on “self-reliance” and “self-reliant diplomacy.” Even
with the bolstering cooperation between North Korea and
Russia, China is cautiously observing from a distance and
demonstrating a response aimed at constraining Pyongyang
through its major power diplomacy with Russia.

Conclusion

South Korea-U.S.-Japan cooperation is an indispensable
mechanism not only to deter North Korea’s nuclear and
missile threats but also to maintain peace and stability in
Northeast Asia, founded on a rules-based international

11 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. “Wang Yi Meets with Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov” (September 19, 2023).
12 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. “President of Russia Vladimir Putin Meets
with Wang Yi” (September 19, 2023).

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