‘Sealed in blood’: Where does the China-North Korea alliance stand today?
China and North Korea are marking the 65th anniversary of their friendship treaty, which remains China's only formal military alliance. Despite the symbolic celebration, the relationship is increasingly defined by strategic necessity rather than ideological alignment.
Why it matters
The durability of this alliance is a critical factor in East Asian geopolitics and regional security dynamics.
China and North Korea are celebrating the 65th anniversary of a friendship treaty, but relations between the two countries remain complicated.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Chinese vendors sell North Korean and Chinese flags on the boardwalk next to the Yalu river in the border city of Dandong, Liaoning province, northern China across from the city of Sinuiju, North Korea [Kevin Frayer/Getty Images] By Katrina Yu Published On 11 Jul 2026 11 Jul 2026 Chinese leaders often describe Beijing’s relationship with North Korea as close “as lips and teeth”, but as warm as bilateral ties appear, this is a relationship underscored above all by strategic necessity.
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