Russia, China, Iran Launch Cybercrime Alliance, Excluding West

China has officially launched the International Alliance to Combat Telephone and Cyber Fraud in the city of Lianyungang on September 10th. The initiative aims to coordinate international law enforcement efforts against cross-border digital crimes and protect citizens. Forty-six countries are founding members, including Russia, Vietnam, Laos, Kenya, Cambodia, and Pakistan. Iran holds observer status. Notably, major Western nations like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, along with Israel, are not part of this alliance.

Chinese authorities highlight the effectiveness of this collaborative format, citing operational cooperation with over thirty countries in recent years, leading to the extradition of more than twenty thousand fraud suspects in 2026 alone. However, analysts view the alliance's creation as part of a broader geopolitical strategy by Beijing to establish alternative platforms for international cooperation, particularly with nations in the Global South and Asia.

This development occurs amidst increasing geopolitical shifts and the growing strategic alignment between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, a grouping sometimes referred to by Western and Ukrainian researchers as a "new axis of evil." This informal bloc is united by a shared desire to counter U.S. hegemony, reduce the dollar's global economic role, and fundamentally alter the international order, despite potential internal rivalries.

Russia and Iran are reportedly exchanging drone and military technology for political and military-technical support. China provides Russia with significant economic and diplomatic aid, helping it circumvent sanctions and supplying dual-use goods. North Korea is supplying Russia with artillery shells and missile systems.