Analysts suggest China is uneasy about a potential five-year defense cooperation plan between North Korea and Russia. Such an agreement could significantly boost Pyongyang's military modernization efforts.

China may be feeling uneasy about talk of a rare five-year defence cooperation plan between North Korea and Russia that could accelerate Pyongyang’s military modernisation on multiple fronts, analysts said. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov held talks to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on April 26, with Belousov describing relations between the countries as at an “unprecedentedly high level”. Belousov also said preparations...