Belarusian President Lukashenko just met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Beijing a few days ago, and now a major news follows.
Lukashenko and Kim Jong-un talked about a "super follow-up itinerary": Kim Jong-un invited Lukashenko to visit North Korea on the spot, and just a few days after Lukashenko returned to Belarus, he took advantage of the opportunity of North Korea's National Day on September 9 to send a congratulatory message to Kim Jong-un, clearly expressing his opinion, "I am ready to visit Pyongyang."
Before the military parade, Kim Jong-un invited Lukashenko to visit North Korea
Lukashenko said in his congratulatory message: "I especially miss the meeting in Beijing not long ago. I confirmed that I would visit your country in a convenient 'recent time' to raise the relationship between the two countries to a new level." The signal in this sentence was very clear - he did not make a temporary decision, but implemented the "verbal agreement" that Beijing talked about.
He also praised North Korea in his congratulatory message: "From the founding of the country in 1948 to the present, North Korea has experienced countless tests, but these tests will only enhance the spirit of the North Korean people and allow North Korea to firmly defend its subjectivity and uniqueness."
This is not politeness. You should know that Belarus has been under pressure from the West over the years. The two countries have resonated with the matter of "not being controlled by others and keeping their own path."
Belarus and North Korea established diplomatic relations in 1992, and high-level interactions have not been intensive. The real turning point was in July last year - Belarus' new Foreign Minister Lei Renkov went straight to Pyongyang less than a month after taking office. This was the first time that the Foreign Minister visited North Korea since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
At that time, North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sun-hye directly stated: "The two countries have common ideals and goals, and North Korea will advance bilateral relations to a 'new era'!" The "common ideal" in this sentence, to put it bluntly, neither country wants to be led by the West.
This year, the actions of both sides have become more "real". In May, Belarusian Vice Prime Minister Shuleko took his delegation to Pyongyang for 4 days, and held the "third meeting of the Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation between North Korea and Belarus". Being able to hold the "third meeting" means that the two sides have a mature cooperation mechanism.
Belarus has industrial and technological advantages, such as mechanical manufacturing and agricultural technology; North Korea has resources and its own industrial foundation, and the complementarity between the two sides is inherently strong. This meeting is likely to finalize many specific projects, otherwise Lukashenko would not be so anxious to "upgrade".
This time Lukashenko promised to visit North Korea, the most critical "catalyst" is actually the "home court" of Beijing. You should know that Kim Jong-un’s visit to China for the September 3rd commemoration this time is a "mileage visit." Because this broke the "one-on-one" diplomatic practice of his father, and this was Kim Jong-un's "multilateral diplomatic debut."
North Korean leader in Beijing
This platform given by China is too important to North Korea. In the past, North Korea was often labeled as an "isolator" internationally due to its nuclear issue. This time, it appeared on the occasion of "commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War", and itself stood on the side of "historical justice".
Showing on such occasions can allow the outside world to re-see North Korea's image as a "normal country" and "a responsible member of the international community", not as slandered by the West. Lukashenko happened to be in Beijing. As soon as the two met, Kim Jong-un sent an invitation. Lukashenko took it on the spot, which not only gave each other face, but also gave China the "bridgemaker".
Malaysian Prime Minister meets Kim Jong-un in Beijing
North Korea has "rarely opened the door. After all, it was because of the situation, and it was also because it was understood by itself. Now the Ukrainian crisis has not stopped. The United States, Japan and South Korea are conducting military exercises on two days on the Korean Peninsula, and the Western sanctions on North Korea have not been relaxed.
Belarus has also been sanctioned by the West for supporting Russia. Both countries are facing pressure of being "surrounded", and at this time "struggle together to keep warm" is the most direct choice.
Moreover, this is the moment when the "Russia-North Korea relations are heating up." Belarus was originally Russia's "iron-core ally". Now that it is approaching toward Belarus, it is easy to form the prototype of "Russia-Belarus-DPRK trilateral cooperation".
The three countries are all in Eurasia and are all subject to Western sanctions. If they can integrate resources, such as Russia's energy, Belarus' technology, and North Korea's resources and labor, it will be possible to form a "small cycle" on Eurasia, and it will not be so easy for the West to get bored.
In April 2019, Kim Jong-un met with Putin
To go further, Lukashenko's visit to North Korea was a "win-win situation for the three parties".
For North Korea: it can not only attract Belarus' technology and investment, but also take this opportunity to expand "multilateral diplomacy" - in the past, North Korea's diplomacy mainly relied on China and Russia, but now there is an additional Belarus, and diplomatic space is opened up in an instant.
For Lukashenko, this is also a good opportunity to stabilize the domestic and expand the international community: the Belarusian economy has been greatly affected by sanctions in recent years. Cooperation with North Korea can carry out some practical projects to boost the domestic economy; at the same time, through the cooperation between North Korea, Russia and North Korea, it can also consolidate its international status - after all, "having friends and cooperation" is better than "fighting alone".
For China, this matter can better reflect our "irreplaceable" in regional affairs. The leaders of the two countries met and finalized cooperation in China, which in itself shows that China is a "reliable platform."
China neither builds a "small circle" nor forces anyone to choose a sideline, but it allows countries with willingness to cooperate to find opportunities in our home court - China and North Korea are traditional friendship, China and Russia are comprehensive strategic cooperation partners, and Belarus is Russia's ally. This linkage of "circle of friends" not only maintains regional stability, but also allows all parties to benefit. This is "Chinese wisdom".
Some people may be worried that this will trigger a rebound from the United States and the West? Sure, but the rebound is useless. Because these three countries have been used to being sanctioned, now they are "the more sanctions are, the more they are sanctioned, the more they are sanctioned." For example, the economic and trade cooperation between North Korea and Bai did not require US dollars to settle, and used local currency, rubles or RMB, and the West would have nowhere to get stuck if it wanted to.
Nine-Three Military Parade
In the future, the relationship toward Beibing is likely to go in three directions:
First, more "iron" in politics. After Lukashenko's visit to North Korea, the two countries may issue a joint statement to be more synchronized in international affairs;
Second, economic and trade cooperation is more "real". The projects of agricultural machinery, infrastructure and resource development that we talked about before are expected to be implemented at an accelerated pace;
Third, trilateral cooperation begins. Russia and Belarus may hold a "tripartite cooperation forum", starting with energy and transportation - such as building a logistics channel connecting the three countries.
After all, Lukashenko "went to the appointment as soon as he returned to China", and North Korea "had a rare opening to welcome guests". On the surface, it was a diplomatic interaction between the two countries, but behind it is actually a microcosm of the changes in the international landscape: the United States and the West always want to engage in "campus confrontation", but more and more countries do not want to be kidnapped.
The role China plays in the middle is not the "leader", but the "bridger" - using its home diplomacy to provide countries with a platform for equal dialogue, allowing everyone to discuss cooperation on the basis of "mutual respect". This is the real responsibility of a "big country": it does not engage in coercion, does not seek personal gain, but is only willing to help everyone increase their "friends" and make "cooperation" solid.
Looking back at the meeting in Beijing: A few seemingly ordinary conversations between Lukashenko and Kim Jong-un ended up becoming an important visit. This shows that diplomacy does not necessarily have to be vigorous. Sometimes a sincere meeting, a timely invitation, and a refreshing agreement can bring the relationship between two "old friends" to a higher level, and it can also give countries like North Korea more confidence and space on the international stage. And the starting point of all this is the "encounter" made in China - this is probably the most special meaning of the "China Delegation".
