The chief of Australia’s national intelligence service has warned that the “emerging axis” of nations that back Russia, which includes China, Iran, and North Korea, is “a profoundly troubling strategic development” that Western nations are finding difficult to handle.
Andrew Shearer, the director-general of Australia’s Office of National Intelligence, stated on Wednesday that the strategic significance of the new axis, which is centered on China and Russia, had been understated.
At a conference in Canberra, Shearer stated, “China’s massive provision of dual-use assistance to Putin, along with economic and diplomatic support, is keeping Putin’s army in the field in Ukraine, killing innocent Ukrainians just as surely as if they were providing artillery ammunition and missiles.”
