China, North Korea and Russia represent a new authoritarian world order that we can't ignore
Russian President Vladimir Putin joined Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of victory of China over Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War (Alamy)
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The gathering of Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un was not an isolated ceremony: it was a signal that China is deliberately tightening its embrace of Russia and North Korea.
On 3 September, Beijing staged a ‘Victory Day’ military parade, drawing 26 world leaders to its capital. The presidents of Indonesia and Belarus, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the King of Cambodia were all present.
Yet the most telling image was of President Xi Jinping flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un. It was a tableau of authoritarian solidarity and a declaration of intent. If this is not the moment for Britain and its allies to recognise China as an enemy rather than a competitor, then when will it be?
There is no formal trilateral treaty between China, North Korea, and Russia, but each pairing already enjoys deepening defence and trade ties.
Russia and North Korea signed a strategic partnership in June which includes mutual defence commitments. China remains Pyongyang’s only military ally. Sino-Russian cooperation has been labelled a “priority partnership” and is being strengthened with joint military exercises and advanced technology sharing.
This is not a Cold War-style alliance locked into rigid structures. It is looser, more agile, and potentially more dangerous.
Defence and military collaboration is where the threat is most immediate. Beijing is preparing to unveil what it claims will be the world’s most powerful laser air defence system. Moscow is reviving elements of its Soviet arsenal such as the experimental ekranoplan. North Korea’s expanding nuclear capabilities are increasingly tolerated, if not actively supported, by Beijing. The cumulative effect is a significant escalation of military risk in East Asia and beyond.
The time for ambiguity is over: China is not a competitor to manage, but an aggressor to confront
At the same time, each regime is pursuing its own territorial ambitions. China is intensifying pressure in the South China Sea. Russia continues its war of aggression in Ukraine. North Korea’s growing fleet of submarines and its repeated missile tests extend the reach of its influence across the Pacific. These are not isolated developments but a coordinated challenge to regional stability and international security.
The Arctic is becoming another contested arena. Russia and China are working together along the Northern Sea Route. China, despite not being an Arctic nation, describes itself as a “near-Arctic power” and is investing in ports, resource extraction and infrastructure under its Polar Silk Road initiative. Far from being benign research projects, these investments are designed to give Beijing and Moscow control over new shipping lanes and untapped resources, locking democratic nations out of strategic opportunities.
The economic and political dimensions are equally concerning. The three states trade extensively, even without formal agreements.
More troubling is their shared project of undermining Western institutions and values. Coordinated disinformation campaigns seek to destabilise democracies, weaken public trust and tilt political outcomes. Authoritarian governance is presented as a legitimate model, normalising repression and human rights abuses.
The Beijing parade was therefore far more than a symbolic occasion. It marked the emergence of a bloc that is cohesive, confident and increasingly bold. With Xi, Putin and Kim standing shoulder to shoulder, the message was unmistakable.
The West already recognises Russia as an aggressor and North Korea as a rogue state. The missing piece is China. Britain and its allies must stop pretending that Beijing is a strategic partner or benign rival. It is the central power in this new authoritarian order, binding together regimes that seek to weaken and replace the democratic world. The time for ambiguity is over: China is not a competitor to manage, but an aggressor to confront.
Gregory Stafford is the Conservative MP for Farnham and Bordon
