China-Russia-N. Korea Cooperation: 3 Regimes cannot Become a Pillar of World Order / Japan, Europe must Keep Emerging Nations Close

Editorial

15:40 JST, September 4, 2025

The leaders of China, Russia and North Korea gathered in Beijing to flaunt their stance of countering the United States. This is nothing less than an attempt to transform the international order that has underpinned global stability for 80 years since the end of World War II.

The democratic camp, including Japan, stands at a crossroads as to whether it will be able to contain the chaos brought on by the rise of China, Russia and North Korea and restore order.

Empty words on U.N. centrism

China held a military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing commemorating “the 80th anniversary of the victory in the war of resistance against Japan.” Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who is general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, met together for the first time and watched the parade.

Xi said in his speech, “Today, mankind is once again faced with the choice of peace or war.” He added that the Chinese people will be committed to the path of peaceful development and will work with people of all countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind. This can be seen as China reaffirming its ambition to become a pillar of the international order.

Xi has advocated values centered on the United Nations, seeking to strengthen China’s influence by drawing emerging and developing nations to its side to build a counterweight to the United States. Now, he might be calculating to draw in Russia and North Korea to gain an advantage in the struggle for hegemony with the United States.

However, Russia, despite being a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, is engaging in aggression against Ukraine. An arrest warrant has been issued against Putin by the International Criminal Court on suspicion of war crimes.

North Korea has sent its soldiers to Russia, supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. It is also advancing its nuclear and missile development programs in defiance of repeated U.N. Security Council resolutions, threatening regional stability.

Dangerous military expansion policy

It is obvious that giving a warm reception to the Russian and North Korean leaders, who openly disregard international rules, runs counter to the U.N. centrism and peaceful diplomacy China has claimed to advocate. Far from building a fair international order, won’t the cooperation among China, Russia and North Korea result in further destabilizing the world?

This time, it is quite natural that Japan, the United States and major countries of the European Union decided not to send their government representatives to Beijing. It may be inevitable that the confrontation will further deepen between the authoritarian states of China, Russia and North Korea and the democratic nations of Japan, the United States and Europe.

Concerns over China’s military expansion policy are also unavoidable. The previous military parade was held six years ago in October 2019 to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. This was the third one in the past 10 years.

This time, new models of weapons were unveiled for the first time, including JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missiles and DF-61 intercontinental ballistic missiles, both of which are capable of striking the U.S. mainland. Drones and hypersonic missiles, which are considered difficult to intercept, also made appearances.

The display of these weapons was clearly aimed at intimidating the administration of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, which opposes China, with an eye on unifying Taiwan with China, and also aimed at deterring Washington from intervening in the event of a contingency in Taiwan.

China’s military expansion poses a serious threat to Japan’s security as well.

Should China invade Taiwan, danger would inevitably also extend to Japan’s Nansei Islands. China Coast Guard vessels have repeatedly intruded into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands. The Xi administration is normalizing its attempts to change the status quo by force.

There is no doubt that the relative decline in the influence of the United States, which has led the postwar international order, has emboldened China, Russia and North Korea.

In particular, U.S. President Donald Trump, who has advocated his “America First” policy, conspicuously disregards free trade and the rule of law. While imposing harsh demands on allies and friendly nations through high tariff policies, he is also positive toward making “deals” with autocratic leaders such as those of Russia and North Korea.

Concern over distancing from U.S.

It is concerning that the Trump administration has pushed even democratic nations away from the United States, with some of them now showing a degree of understanding toward China’s positions.

India is in a tense relationship with China due to their territorial disputes. But after the United States imposed an additional tariff on India due to its crude oil imports from Russia, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Beijing for talks with the Chinese and Russian leaders.

It is regrettable that India, which has previously prioritized cooperation with Japan, the United States and Australia, is now intensifying its moves to draw closer to China.

It is not possible to expect Trump to focus on maintaining the international order. Japan needs to strengthen its cooperation with Europe and others, and pursue a more multilayered diplomacy than ever before in order to maintain ties with emerging and developing nations that are increasingly leaning toward China.

To maintain stability in the Asia-Pacific region, cooperation in the Quad framework among Japan, the United States, Australia and India, as well as cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea, is especially essential. Japan’s role in establishing the rules of the international order is becoming increasingly important as is the need to strengthen its own defense capabilities and deepen the Japan-U.S. alliance.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 4, 2025)