Editor’s note: The following article is an opinion piece by Rob York, director for regional affairs at the Pacific Forum. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun has, on a handful of occasions in 2026, made reference to the cross-strait dispute between Taiwan and China. 

On Jan. 3, for instance, an articletitled “Addressing the West’s Double Standards on the Taiwan Issue,” quoted a Chinese spokesperson denouncing the United States and European support for Taiwan’s “separatism,” as well as their vow that Taiwan