Rising tension on Korean Peninsula is dangerous 

The photo shows North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (C) giving a speech during a welcome banquet at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Amur region.//AFP

This week’s visit to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is extraordinary, given the circumstances in both countries. The meeting was intended to strengthen bilateral strategic and tactical cooperation further, supporting solidarity in their struggle against the West.

It is the result of intensifying competition among nuclear armed powers. All of them are seeking to keep their friends and allies as close as possible, geopolitically. At this critical time, they have to do it quickly. Like a game of ping-pong, the reactions sail back and forth. A sluggish return could be seen as weakness.

The Biden administration has been pushing for and has succeeded in beefing up defence cooperation with…