North Korea and China are watching for possible regional impacts from Japan's recent enhanced security cooperation with Germany. North Korea slammed the security cooperation as "collusion" that crossed a "red line" and is "reminiscent of the Second World War," according to North Korea's state-run KCNA on Monday. Kishida and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed in Berlin on Friday to boost their security cooperation after attending a NATO summit in Washington. Beijing said the cooperation between Japan and Germany should not create tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. However, she continued, "Strengthening NATO-IP4 ties could exacerbate tensions with China and Russia, who may perceive this cooperation as a containment strategy," and encourage countries like North Korea to align more closely with them.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 17, 2024 14:03 UTC