North Korea and Pakistan have good relations with China, but militarily, there is a world of difference.
Pakistan's navy, army, and air force are all equipped with China's advanced **, while the DPRK's air force and navy are very backward and can only rely on some old equipment to maintain face.
Why does China have a very different attitude towards these two fraternal countries?There are three important reasons behind this, let's take a look.
First, the geographical location is different. Pakistan is located in the southwest of China, bordering China's old rival, India. India and Pakistan are "feuds" and often clash on the border. China has helped Pakistan build up its military capabilities, not only to protect Pakistan, but also to counterbalance India.
After all, India is China's biggest competitor in Asia and an important ally of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Not only that, Pakistan is also an important partner of China in the international arena, which can help China expand its influence in the Middle East, South Asia and other regions. Although Pakistan has economic difficulties, it has a nuclear power, which is also a trump card in the international community.
While China is looking to Pakistan, it will also consider its own strategic interests. And what about North Korea?North Korea is China's neighbor and China's only ally. China and the DPRK have signed the Sino-DPRK Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance, under which China will unconditionally provide military and material assistance if the DPRK is invaded by a foreign enemy.
This shows that North Korea is very important to China's security, and if North Korea is controlled by hostile forces, China's northeastern border will face a huge threat.
Not only that, but North Korea can also be strong against South Korea and Japan, both of which are major allies of the United States in East Asia and potential enemies of China. China hopes that North Korea will maintain a balance in the region so that South Korea and Japan will not dare to act rashly. However, China did not provide much military assistance to the DPRK, why is that?
This brings us to the second reason, which is the character of North Korea. North Korea is a very maverick country, and it does not want to be dictated by anyone, not even China. If North Korea had the same military power as Pakistan, it could launch a surprise attack on South Korea or even launch nuclear missiles at the United States and Japan.
In this case, China will be forced to get involved in a war on the Korean Peninsula, which is very detrimental to China's interests. China wants North Korea to maintain some military deterrence, but not to take too many risks.
The third reason is the economic situation of the two countries.
Although Pakistan is economically underdeveloped, it has a powerful financier, and that is Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia needs Pakistan to contribute to it in the Middle East, so it often provides Pakistan with a lot of economic assistance, and even helps Pakistan develop nuclear **.
Relying on the support of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan can buy China's **, and even establish ** production lines in the country to achieve self-sufficiency.
Pakistan's military power is financed not only by China, but also by Saudi Arabia. And what about North Korea?North Korea is a very closed country economically, it hardly has any partners, and can only survive by struggling to survive on its own.
The above three points are the reasons why China sold a large number of ** to Pakistan, not North Korea.