China Breaks Silence on 'North Korea Troop Deployment,' Says "North Korea-Russia Relations Are Their Own Affair"

China, which has remained silent on North Korea's deployment of troops to Russia, has for the first time expressed the position that "North Korea-Russia relations are their own business."

Lin Zhen, Spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

On the 1st, Lin Zhen, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing in response to a question asking, "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was surprised by China's silence on the issue of North Korean troops; what is China's position?" that "North Korea and Russia are two independent sovereign countries, and how they develop their bilateral relations is their own business," adding, "China is not aware of the specific situation regarding the bilateral exchanges and cooperation between North Korea and Russia."

Spokesperson Lin stated, "China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear," and emphasized, "China's stance that each party should promote de-escalation and strive for a political resolution to the Ukraine crisis remains unchanged, and I want to stress that each party should play a constructive role in this."

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently responded to questions about North Korea's troop deployment to Russia by saying, "China is not aware of the relevant situation," or by reiterating its official response to the Ukraine war.

Regarding Lin's remarks on this day, some interpret that while China maintains a certain distance from the close North Korea-Russia ties, it has effectively acknowledged North Korea's troop deployment moves.

Some analysts also suggest that China does not welcome being drawn into a confrontation framework such as 'South Korea-US-Japan versus North Korea-China-Russia' with the West.