Russia Gains Confidence with Chinese Tools, Iranian Ammo, N. Korea

For Russia, Chinese-made products are not only reasonably priced but also of very reliable quality, which provides important support to the Russian economy. According to statistics, the bilateral trade volume between China and Russia reached a record high of US$190.271 billion in 2022, an increase of 29.3% year-on-year. This is enough to prove that without China's support, Russia's economy will face a heavy blow. Without sufficient economic support, it will be difficult for Russia to continue the war.

Modern warfare depends to a large extent on economic strength. China's machine tool technology undoubtedly provides great support for Russia. Russian military factories must rely on high-precision machine tools when manufacturing missiles, and China just fills this technological gap. With the help of Chinese machine tools, the number of missiles manufactured by Russia each year has exceeded the total production of the entire NATO. Since missiles are consumables, the demand for missiles in front-line combat is huge, but the production speed still cannot keep up with the consumption speed. Therefore, military aid has become an important supplement to Russia.

In 2023, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu visited North Korea, and the two sides reached an agreement to further strengthen military assistance. Since then, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has also visited Russia and expressed his interest in further deepening military cooperation. In June 2024, President Putin visited North Korea and signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and North Korea with Kim Jong-un. According to the treaty, the two sides promised to provide military assistance and other support to one side when the other side was invaded by force. This means that from June 2024, the cooperation between Russia and North Korea has become closer.

According to reports, from August 2023 to October 2024, North Korea provided Russia with more than 13,000 containers of military supplies, including artillery shells, missiles, anti-tank rockets and other ammunition, and even planned to send 12,000 soldiers to participate in the battle on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield. This move has aroused strong dissatisfaction in South Korea, although North Korea and Russia denied the news. However, in November 2023, the Ukrainian Defense Minister confirmed in an interview that the Ukrainian army had engaged in a confrontation with the North Korean army on the front line, which shocked Western countries because North Korea's previous attitude has always been tough and should not be underestimated. Although Western countries are angry, they dare not take further action because North Korea has powerful nuclear weapons and cannot be provoked.

In addition to North Korea's military assistance, Iran's support is equally critical. In the field of drones, Iran has provided important technical support to Russia. On August 30, 2022, Iran provided Russia with the first batch of drones, including the Mohajer-6 and Shahed series drones. The main purpose of these drones is to carry out air strikes on Ukrainian radar systems and military bases. Although some officials have criticized these drones for technical problems, in fact, they have performed well on the battlefield and successfully attacked several important targets in Ukraine.

Today, Russia is still purchasing a large number of Iranian drones to enhance its air strike capabilities. With the support of Chinese machine tools, North Korean military aid and Iranian drones, the combat capability of the Russian army has been significantly improved, and the fighting on the front line has become more intense. It is worth noting that the machine tool transactions between China and Russia are normal business cooperation, while cooperation with North Korea and Iran is real military assistance.

Western countries are also well aware of China's importance in this war, so they continue to discredit China through the media and demand to stop cooperation with Russia. Even the United States has recently introduced the so-called "secondary tariff" policy to prohibit China from purchasing Russian oil. In this regard, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that the normal cooperation between China and Russia is not aimed at any third party and will not be subject to external interference. Faced with the absurd rhetoric of Western countries, China has always adhered to its position and countered Western sanctions through practical actions. For the West, the consequences of sanctions against China may be more serious, after all, they themselves cannot leave the Chinese market and Made in China.

The current situation is quite favorable to Russia. The United States has been wavering in its attitude towards military aid to Ukraine. Although Trump has resumed aid to Ukraine, it is still unknown whether the weapons can reach Ukraine in time. Although European countries are willing to provide aid, their capabilities are limited. Russia has occupied a favorable position in the war of attrition and is fully capable of fighting a protracted war until the West completely abandons its support for Ukraine. After all, Russia has received strong support from China, North Korea and Iran in terms of economy, weapons and drones. For Russia, the duration of the war is not important, the key is to be able to endure it. We in China still call on all parties to return to the negotiating table, because only through dialogue can this conflict be truly resolved and more unnecessary sacrifices be avoided. I hope that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict can end soon and restore peace.