Toward Decline
Xi Seeks to Draw North Korea Back Into China’s Orbit
Why it matters
China's strategic consolidation of North Korea—repositioning it away from Russian orbit and back into Beijing's sphere—strengthens China's northern flank and reduces strategic uncertainty in a region proximate to Taiwan and the broader Indo-Pacific. This reshaping of regional alignments affects the stability calculus that underpins both the US alliance architecture and Taiwan's security environment, which are foundational to Australia's strategic positioning.
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