China | A discomforting deployment

North Korea’s aid to Russia raises difficult questions in China

Officials in Beijing fear they are losing leverage over their neighbours

Photograph: Reuters

Officials FROM China have avoided direct comment on North Korea’s despatch of thousands of troops to Russia, where they might help in a conflict that all three countries see as a contest against overweening American might. China itself is a crucial if undeclared backer of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, providing technological support for Russia’s defence industries. But behind closed doors, Chinese officials may question North Korea’s move.

Explore more

This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “When lips part ”

From the November 2nd 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

An employee works at the grain reserve warehouse of a soybean processing enterprise

Trump, trade and feeding China’s pigs

As a trade war looms, China looks to cut its reliance on America

A little black figure struggles to open a door in the back of Xi Jinping's head.

Helping America’s hawks get inside the head of Xi Jinping

China’s leader is a risk-taker. How far will he go in confronting America?


POlice stand outside a Hong Kong court where 45 pro-democracy activists are to be convicted

Snuffing out the flame of freedom in Hong Kong

Dozens of pro-democracy activists are thrown into jail for up to a decade 


China’s greatest dumpling run

A big gathering of young cyclists is ended by officials

A spate of horrific car-rammings shakes China

They are known as “revenge on society” attacks

Mega-polluter China believes it is a climate saviour 

It accounts for almost 40% of global investment in clean energy



Discover more

View of the snow-covered Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Kyiv, Ukraine

How will Donald Trump handle the war in Ukraine?

And how will Ukraine, Russia and Europe respond?

Footage released by a Ukranian charity show flashes over Dnipro of possible Russia intercontinental ballistic missile attack

Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats

The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare


Kazakhstan, the Ustyurt plateau. Caspian sea;

The Caspian Sea is shrinking rapidly

This has big implications for Russia, which has come to rely on Central Asian ports


The World Ahead Diplomacy in 2025

The perils of the world’s third nuclear age

Donald Trump must decide how to compete in a new arms race

The World Ahead By Invitation: United States in 2025

Sally Paine outlines how America should deal with the “quartet of chaos”

The professor of history and grand strategy at the US Naval War College says history offers valuable lessons

The World Ahead Europe in 2025

Fighting in Ukraine could wind down in 2025

What might a possible deal look like?