Editor’s note: This is the second article in a two-part series examining what China thinks of growing Russia-DPRK ties since the start of the war in Ukraine. Part one can be read here.

The specter of a trilateral axis between North Korea, Russia and China has loomed large in recent years. Pyongyang has sent artillery and missiles to Russia for use in its invasion of Ukraine, and Beijing and Moscow have worked together at the U.N. to kill new sanctions against the DPRK.

China’s recent decision to abstain from the Security Council