Putin and Kim's embrace may place Xi in a bind
Xi Jinping, has linked arms with two anti-Western states, declaring a «no limits» partnership with Russia and pledging «unswerving» support for North Korea.
But the specter of a budding bromance between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, after their meeting this week in eastern Russia, may not be as welcome a development for Xi as it might initially seem.
Closer ties between Pyongyang and Moscow could result in both countries being less reliant on Beijing. That might diminish China's perceived clout in global negotiations over ending Russia's war in Ukraine and curtailing North Korea's nuclear program.
«I doubt Xi is overjoyed to see the Kim-Putin lovefest unfolding across China's border,» said John Delury, a professor of Chinese studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea.
Kim and Putin, he said, have reasons to seek more autonomy and leverage from China, the «dominant power in the triangle,» by strengthening their bilateral ties.
Russia could conceivably gain more weaponry from North Korea to intensify its war in Ukraine. North Korea could garner aid or technological assistance from Russia and ramp up its nuclear weapons program.
«All this activity would come on Beijing's doorstep but outside its control or influence,» Delury said.
For China, such cooperation may embolden Russia and North Korea to escalate their provocative actions.
That might be a headache for Beijing, which wants to avoid coming under increased pressure to rein in Pyongyang and Moscow.
China has also sought to prevent its neighbors from drawing closer to Washington. Kim's missile tests have already contributed to the decision last month by South Korea and Japan to put aside their historic differences to sign
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