China, Other Hostile Regimes Forming Menacing Authoritarian Alliance Against Democracies, Experts Warn

Political and military leaders have introduced a new acronym, ‘CRINKs,’ to describe the alliance between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Taiwanese military personnel drive a CM-25 armoured vehicle across the street during the Han Kuang military exercise, which simulates China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invading the island, in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on July 27, 2022. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

China is forging a menacing alliance with other hostile regimes against the West and is growing as a prominent threat challenging U.S.-led democracies across diverse arenas in the Indo-Pacific theatre, experts warned at a recent international security forum.

Political and military leaders shared this perspective during two panel discussions at the 2023 Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Nov. 17–19, which introduced a new acronym, “CRINKs,” to describe the alliance between China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.