CHINA PERSPECTIVE

South China Morning Post publishes a detailed analysis of the Pyongyang memorial ceremony: both countries agreed to long-term military cooperation beyond Ukraine, with a five-year plan covering 2027-2031. Kim Jong-un declared that regardless of how the rules of war change, Pyongyang and Moscow must strengthen into a 'powerful bulwark with unified power.' SCMP also highlights that Asia-Pacific military spending is growing at its fastest pace since 2009, partly fueled by the Trump effect pushing US allies to rearm. Another SCMP article documents Ukrainian strikes and deaths in Dnipro on the 40th anniversary of Chernobyl, with a focus on persistent nuclear risks at Zaporizhzhia. China, observing the institutionalization of the anti-Western axis, sees in it a reduction of potential pressure on its own South China Sea policies.