The Axis Of Evil China, Russia, Iran, And North Korea: A Partnership Based Not On Principles But On Sheer Spite For The United States

China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are colluding to disrupt the peace and security of the world; they are actively destabilizing their respective regions as they carry out their individual agendas. China is the sole cause of tensions in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, West Philippine Sea, India, Tibet, and Bhutan; Russia's invasion of the Ukraine has destabilized Europe; Iran has wrought havoc in the Gulf through its proxy militias; and North Korea threatens nuclear attacks on South Korea.

The members of this axis each have their own agendas – among them territorial expansion, pursuit of hegemony, and jihad. But what they have in common is the desire to upend the current world order.

(Source: X)

The Four Countries Began Cooperation To Thwart Isolation

As we all know, the world order was designed by the U.S. after World War 2 with these characteristics: a rule-based global regime based on laws, treaties, and agreements provided for by the United Nations and its attached agencies; Liberal democratic values such as human rights and free-market capitalism; Globalization or linking economies through trade and investments; the containment of communism; and multilateral cooperation to address global challenges like arms control and climate change.

Having the largest economy and for being the architect of this world order, the United States holds the strongest influence in global affairs. Hence, the U.S. dollar has become the base currency for international trade and government reserves.

Due to their bad behavior in the realms of trade, territorial disputes, and military conduct, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have been, to varying degrees, on the receiving end of sanctions. The four face trade sanctions (e.g., tariffs, trade restrictions, and embargoes), financial sanctions (e.g., asset freezes, banking restrictions, and investment bans), military sanctions, (e.g., arms embargoes) and diplomatic sanctions. The United States has led this charge.

In recent years, the four countries have begun to cooperate to circumvent these sanctions, thwart isolation, and forward their respective ambitions. They also seek to undermine the U.S. dollar as the de facto currency for trade.

For example, neither China, Iran nor North Korea fully condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Rather, they pinned the blame on NATO.

In Ukraine's battlegrounds, you will find artillery shells and soldiers from North Korea, drones from Iran, and radar technology from China.

China has become Russia's economic lifeline. Beijing has ramped up its imports of Russian oil and gas, pumping billions of dollars into the Russian economy. This has allowed Russia to finance its war. For its part, some 83 percent of China's advanced weapons are imported from Russia. Trade between the two has increased two-fold in the last decade, topping $244.8 billion in 2024. Both countries have begun to trade in the Russian ruble and Chinese yuan.

Russia has been transferring technology to China. According to media reports, Moscow is committed to providing Beijing with technologies relating to nuclear submarines, fighter jets, and remote-sensing satellites.[1]

As for North Korea, Iran gives Pyongyang the same missile technologies that it gives its terrorist proxies.

Russia moved to unlock part of the frozen North Korean assets.[2] Speculation is growing that Russia provided North Korea with military technology to advance its intercontinental ballistic missile program.[3]

As for Iran's terror campaign in the Middle East, neither China, nor Russia, nor North Korea denounced the October 7 terror attack on Israel.

Russia is Iran's largest source of foreign investment,[4] which helps keep its economy alive. Meanwhile China is Iran's largest market for oil and manufactured goods. More significantly, Russia is Iran's staunch defender in the UN Security Council.

In 2024, China, Iran, and Russia have held their fifth joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman. By joining forces, they amplify their power beyond what they are capable of on their own. Moreover, by instigating multiple conflicts in multiple geographic locations, they dilute the military potency of the U.S. and her allies.

On October 18-19, 2024, videos allegedly depicting North Korean soldiers undergoing training and receiving equipment at one of the military training grounds in the Russian Far East began to circulate in media and Telegram channels. Some analysts believe that the location depicted on the video is the "Sergeyevsky" training ground, located in Primorsky Krai (Russia), not far from the border with the DPRK. The video was distributed on several media outlets, including by SPRAVDI, a portal publishing material by Ukraine's Stratcom Center. (See MEMRI Video clip n. 11501, North Korean Soldiers Reportedly In Russia, October 18, 2024).

On November 30, 2024, Russia's Ministry of Defense published a video on its Telegram channel, showing Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers and Chinese PLA H-6K strategic bombers carrying out air patrols over the waters of the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, and the western part of the Pacific Ocean. The joint patrol flight lasted approximately eight hours. During the patrol, Russian Su-30SM and MiG-31 VKS jets flew alongside Chinese Jian-16 jets in order to provide air cover. Russian aircraft landed and took off from Chinese airfields, and during certain parts of the route, the strategic bombers were escorted by foreign fighter jets. In addition, the patrol involved a nighttime aerial refueling of a Russian Tu-95MS. The Russian Ministry of Defense has stated that the patrol was conducted in accordance with international law and did not violate any country's airspace. (See MEMRI Video clip n. 11621, Russian, Chinese Strategic Bombers Patrol Sea Of Japan, East China Sea, Western Pacific Ocean, November 30, 2024)

Iran, China, and Russia fifth military drill in Gulf of Oman in March 2024. (Source:Youtube)

A Fragile Partnership

Anti-American sentiment is what binds the four nations together and fuels their call for an alternative world order. It is no surprise that many nations, among them Venezuela, Cuba, and Eritrea, want to join the group if only to circumvent sanctions.

What we see is a classic "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" scenario even if the four have opposed each other on many occasions.

It will be recalled that in 1941, the USSR invaded Iran and employed separatists to create puppet states. Russia also had a long-standing dispute with China for the Amur and Ussuri River areas, among others. Russia and China opposed Iran's nuclear program in the early 2000s. Russia, China, and Iran participated to isolate North Korea from the world.

Even today, Russia and China are competing for influence over Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, China and Iran are competing for influence over Pakistan and Afghanistan.

That said, we can safely conclude that the "partnership" is a fragile one, at best.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has employed a host of strategies to blunt the efforts of this axis, preserve the peace, and maintain the status quo. These include: strengthening alliances, partnerships, and intelligence sharing with like-minded countries, especially in geopolitical hotspots; disrupting military cooperation (e.g., intercepting weapons transfers and blocking the flow of dual-use technologies) and exploiting divergences and existing conflicts between the four ; employing diplomacy to further isolate the four; and reducing dependence on their exports.

Time will tell if the axis will manage to succeed in disrupting the status quo and upending the world order. My bet is that it will dissolve as soon as conflicts of interest arise between them. After all, this is a partnership not based on principles nor ideology but for sheer spite for America.

*Andrew Masigan is the MEMRI China Media Studies Project Special Advisor. He is a Manila-based economist, businessman, and political columnist for The Philippine Star. Masigan's articles in MEMRI are also published in The Philippine Star.