 "China & North Korea's aid to Russia poses security risk in Indo-Pacific: Top US commander told senate")
Top US commander in the Pacific, Adm Samuel Paparo, warned China and North Korea's aid to Russia in the Ukraine war poses a major security risk in the Indo-Pacific region. The head of the US Indo-Pacific Command pointed out that since China and North Korea are helping Russia in the war in Ukraine, Moscow provides critical military assistance to both nations in return.
The proclamation from Paparo came while he was addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee. He told the US lawmakers that China has provided 70 per cent of the machine tools and 90 per cent of the legacy chips to Russia to help Moscow “rebuild its war machine”.
In exchange for this, Admiral Paparo said that Beijing is potentially getting help in technologies to make its submarines move more quietly, along with other assistance. The remarks from the American commander came after Senators pressed Paparo and Gen Xavier Brunson, commander of US Forces Korea, on China’s advances in the region, including the threats to Taiwan.
Paparo emphasises the need to shield personnel from govt cuts
During the hearing, the senators questioned both about the US military presence in South Korea, and whether it should be shielded from personnel cuts. Both commanders agreed that the current US forces there and across the Indo-Pacific region are critical for both diplomacy in the region and US national security, as ties between Russia and China grow.
It is pertinent to know that the United States currently has 28,500 military personnel in South Korea. Paparo noted that North Korea is sending “thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of artillery shells” and thousands of short-range missiles to Russia. The expectation, he said, is that Pyongyang will receive air defence and surface-to-air missile support.
“It’s a transactional symbiosis where each state fulfils the other state’s weakness to the mutual benefit of each state,” Paparo said. Meanwhile, Brunson noted that Pyongyang has shown the ability to send munitions and troops to Russia while advancing the development of its own military capabilities, including hypersonic weapons.
Impact Shorts
View All“North Korea boasts a Russian-equipped, augmented, modernized military force of over 1.3 million personnel,” Brunson said. “North Korea’s efforts to develop advanced nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles pose a direct threat to our homeland and our allies”, Paparo added.
The remarks from American generals came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia is actively recruiting Chinese citizens to fight alongside its forces in the Ukraine war. He noted that around 155 such mercenaries are already active in the battle, with Beijing’s knowledge. Both China and Russia denied Zelenskyy's allegations with Beijing calling accusations “irresponsible”.
With inputs from agencies.
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