‘There’s an axis of evil in the world: China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. And we need to stand up to the axis of evil, not try to do business with them.’
News Analysis
A new Axis of Evil comprising China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran has emerged, and China is the biggest threat to the United States, according to a Washington-based think tank that discussed the idea in a seminar on the current state of U.S.-China relations on March 19.
During the seminar by The Heritage Foundation, Matthew Kroenig, a former strategist at the Department of Defense and an expert at the Central Intelligence Agency, stated that since the Trump administration, the United States has recognized communist China and Russia as its greatest threats.
Mr. Kroenig said that it is clear that China is the biggest threat among countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Despite Russia’s GDP accounting for less than 2 percent of the global economy, it is increasingly cooperating with China, which accounts for 18 percent of the global GDP.
He believed China’s diplomatic strategy involved restraining the United States by supporting Russia, thereby allowing itself greater freedom in the Indo-Pacific region.
Dan Negrea, the senior director of the Freedom and Prosperity Center at the Atlantic Council, said that Americans need to realize that China is an adversary.
In the recently published book “We Win, and They Lose: A Conservative Strategy to Win the New Cold War” co-authored by Mr. Kroenig and Mr. Negrea, the two experts analyzed significant national security challenges from communist China during the new Cold War era and how the United States should respond with a conservative strategy, triggering widespread attention.
As early as 2017, the Trump administration issued its first National Security Strategy report, stating that China poses a comprehensive threat to the United States in various fields such as political system, military, diplomacy, and economy.
The Biden administration continued this recognition and, in October 2022, issued another National Security Strategy report, clearly identifying the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as the only competitor with intentions to reshape the international order and gradually gain the capabilities to achieve that goal.
“In the competition with the PRC, as in other arenas, it is clear that the next ten years will be the decisive decade,” reads the report.
CCP Supports Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
It is widely believed that Russia would not have dared to invade Ukraine without tacit approval from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
On Feb. 4, 2022, Putin issued a joint statement with the CCP after visiting Beijing, stating that “friendship between the two States has no limits, there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation.” Shortly after returning to Russia, Putin launched the attack on Ukraine.
The Russia-Ukraine war has drained the resources and energies of the United States and the European Union in political, military, diplomatic, and economic aspects. Meanwhile, Beijing not only refuses to condemn Moscow but also indirectly supports it through economic and trade means to alleviate the pain of international sanctions.
Although the CCP did not openly provide lethal weapons to Russia, it supplied a large number of heavy trucks, drones, and other dual-use military products. These products directly enhanced Russia’s defense industrial capabilities. What was considered non-lethal products led to lethal consequences.
In 2022, Sino-Russian trade increased by 30 percent year-on-year; in 2023, it increased by 25 percent to over $240 billion, reaching a historic high.
On Feb. 22, Nicholas Burns, U.S. ambassador to China, expressed disappointment at an event commemorating the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, stating that the CCP continues to provide political and diplomatic support to Russia.
“We are very concerned by the actions of Chinese companies that fuel Russia’s defense industrial complex,” he said. “China’s silence on the existential issue of Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence is deafening. And its support to Russia is very troubling indeed.”
According to Reuters, Mr. Putin will visit China in May, just before the CCP leader’s visit to Europe. Previously, Mr. Putin said he had a good personal relationship with Xi Jinping and that Moscow and Beijing would further deepen bilateral relations.
In March 2023, Xi visited Moscow, and the two sides signed a joint statement to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.
On Feb. 12, the director of Norway’s military intelligence agency said that Russia’s ability to withstand Western sanctions is due to greater military reserves and material support from China, North Korea, Iran, Belarus, and other countries. The machinery, vehicles, electronics, and components provided by Beijing are very useful for Russia’s defense industry.
On Feb. 21, EU member states approved the 13th round of related sanctions plans, which included three Chinese companies for the first time. These companies were accused of providing sensitive military technology to Russia, which was used on the battlefield in Ukraine.
On Feb. 23, the United States announced new trade sanctions against 93 entities from Russia, China, and other countries, including eight Chinese entities. The U.S. Department of Commerce stated that some entities transferred controlled microelectronic products to Russian military and intelligence agencies, while others helped Russia replenish ammunition and other military materials.
Joseph Webster, a senior researcher at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, also pointed out in late 2023 that the CCP’s support for Russia hindered Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Analysis: New Axis of Evil Based on Interests
The concept of the new axis of evil is not something new, Zhuge Mingyang, an independent writer, told The Epoch Times.
In 2023, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell identified China, Russia, and Iran as the new axis of evil.
However, Moscow’s words and actions suggest its attitude towards the CCP is inconsistent.
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Mr. Putin said, “We are neighbors with China. You cannot choose neighbors … The West is afraid of a strong China more than it fears a strong Russia.”
In March 2023, Mr. Putin said that Russia and China are not creating a military alliance, and their cooperation is not directed against third parties.
Katsuji Nakazawa, a senior Japanese media figure, wrote on March 20 that although the China-Russia relationship is currently close, it may become rocky in the coming years. One reason is the large influx of Chinese immigrants into the Russian Far East. Additionally, the CCP leader ordered the change of the Russian place name “Vladivostok” on Chinese maps to “Haishenwai” in Chinese.
Regarding the formation of the new axis of evil, Mr. Zhuge has a different view. He believes that if Trump’s original diplomatic strategy had been followed, this axis might not have formed, and the Russia-Ukraine war might not have happened.
“Of course, there are no hypotheticals in reality, and these things have happened after all. If Trump’s approach, befriending Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong Un to suppress and weaken their threats to the free world had been followed, it would have been beneficial to the United States and even to the whole world order,” he said.
“This is not criticizing the Biden administration’s approach, but this approach may have inadvertently contributed to the formation of this evil axis. The wisdom of ancient Chinese is not to push your enemies towards another enemy.”