Chinese Whispers: Why Beijing is wary of a Russo-North Korean alliance

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🗓️ 11 November 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

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Summary

There have been reports that some 11,000 North Korean troops are present in Russia and preparing to take part in the Russian invasion. While not acknowledged by either country, if true, this would mark a historic milestone: the first East Asian state to send troops to Europe since the Mongol Empire.

And yet, both countries’ most powerful neighbour and ally – China – has remained suspiciously quiet about this new development. Beijing’s silence may well express a deep distrust and unease that actually characterises China’s relationship with its so-called allies.

To get into the recent developments and what we can learn from the history of the relationship between these three countries, the historian John Delury joins the podcast. He is an expert on the Cold War and the history of China and the Korean peninsula. He is a visiting Professor at Luiss University and author of Agents of Subversion.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Cindy Yu.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Spectator magazine is home to wonderful writing, insightful analysis and unrivaled books and arts reviews.
0:06.2	Subscribe today for just £12 and receive a 12-week subscription in print and online,
0:11.5	along with a free £20 £10, John Lewis or Waitrose voucher.
0:15.0	Go to spectator.com.uk forward slash voucher.
0:30.3	Hello and welcome to Chinese Whispers with me, Cindy Yu.
0:34.5	Every episode I'll be talking to journalists, experts and long-time China watchers about the latest in Chinese politics, society and more.
0:38.3	There will be a smattering of history to catch you up on the background knowledge and some context as well.
0:43.3	How do the Chinese see these issues?
0:47.3	Over the last few months, there have been more and more reports about North Korea's support for Russia,
0:52.3	especially when it comes to boots on the ground.
0:54.7	Reportedly, there are some 10,000 North Korean soldiers receiving training in Russia right now
0:59.1	who may well see active combat in the coming days.
1:02.1	Beijing's silence on these new developments may well be a symptom of the fact that China's
1:06.5	relationship with both these countries has historically, often tended to be quite an easy and
1:12.9	difficult. So joining me to discuss all of this, both the recent developments, as well as what
1:17.8	history can teach us about the relationship between these three countries, is the historian
1:22.1	John DeLurie. He is a visiting professor at Louis University and his latest book is Agents of
1:27.0	subversion. He's an expert on the Cold War and his latest book is Agents of Surversion.
1:31.8	He's an expert on the Cold War and on the history of China and the Korean Peninsula.
1:33.8	John, welcome back to Chinese Whispers.
1:36.2	Yeah, I'm delighted to talk with you again, Cindy.
1:41.7	To start with, can you outline what we know about North Korea's involvement in and support for the Russian invasion?
	...

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