According to Cambridge English dictionary rogue states means those, which are “behaving in ways that are not expected or not normal, often in a way that causes damage”. In the rhetoric of US policy makers, a grand threat to peace in the post-Cold War scenario is the presence of “rogue states”. Rogue states are indicted of violating international norms of behaviours, they are considered as sponsors of international terrorism, human rights abusers and the seekers of weapons of mass destruction (Klare, 1995). Rogues are also called “Pariah”, “outcast”, and “outlaw” these states are the subject of diplomatic isolation in the community of states, political and economic sanctions, economic embargo, and even armed outbreak (Hoyt, 2000).

In today's international political market, the word "rogue" is regularly used to describe states that behave in direct opposition to the authorisation of the power bloc at the moment. Once upon a time, China was a "rogue" state. Iran, North Korea, Libya, and Syria were designated as "rogue states" by the United States during and after the completion of the Cold War. Considering Afghanistan to be a "rogue state," the United States intervened in 2001 to help the country develop democracy. Similarly, after 2001, the United Regimes' goal became transforming all "rogue states" into liberal democracies. These countries, according to the United States, are affiliates of terrorist organisations that want to provoke terrorists all over the world. “Rogue” states are undeniably latent dangers to the United States' omnipotence. China and Russia are seen as counterweights to US hegemony in these countries. These countries desperately need strong relations with larger powers such as Russia and China. During the Cold War, all of these powers sided with the Soviet Union. North Korea and South Korea waged a massive war in which South Korea attempted to humiliate and unify North Korea with the support of the United States. In the world, Libya, Iran, and Syria were also supporters of communism. For all other states, the Cold War is gone, yet it continues for all states labelled as "rogues." Time and time again, the United States attempted to target them. North Korea and Iran will never be good allies with the United States. Syria cannot be a Middle East partner of the United States. All of these "Rogues" believe China is improving. Because they are manufactured in Beijing” (Chang, 2014).

The central question to discuss further is that, how is China engaging with "rogue" states in a Uni-polar world, according to this paper? Cooperation between the PRC and such powerful "rogues" in the face of US sanctions is a clear harbinger of a Second Cold War. On the one hand, China favours sanctions against these countries; on the other, it seeks to cooperate with them. On the one hand, it is opposed to nuclear proliferation, and on the other, it is nuclearizing "rogue states." Following the peaceful end of the Cold War, the United States' principal objective has been to diminish "rogue" states, but China's goal is to strengthen and support them. China's cooperation with these countries is diverse. China's trading contacts with various countries, including "rogues," are a separate issue that the US may accept, but its cooperation in nuclear technology, (Nader, 2012) missile technology, and arms sales to Rogue nations have generated numerous worries in world politics study circles. This has prompted various questions in Washington about China-US relations. China's nuclear cooperation with North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan demonstrates that it does not recognise the United States' superiority or efforts to de-nuclearize the world.

“Rogue” Iran after 1979 and PRC Relations

Iran became an open opponent of the United States throughout the world after the 1979 revolution. Iran has always attempted to oppose US hegemony in the world by forming alliances with great states. Iran's status as a sovereign state was troubled by the peaceful end of the First Cold War and the world's un-polarity. Iran was targeted on several fronts by the US in order to isolate it from the rest of the world. After the 1990s, China's rise became a beacon of hope for Iran in the face of US hostility. Iran's natural resources, such as petroleum and gas, piqued China's interest. China was forced to collaborate with it because of its oil reserves. China and Iran maintained cordial relations in a variety of areas. Despite constant US pressure, China has managed to keep optimistic, though strained, relations with both the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran by assistant nuclear-powered arms consents on Iran officially while violating them in practise (Kasting, 2012).

In July 1991, when Li Peng conducted an official visit to Iran, a major step in Sino-Iran "Nuclear Cooperation" was taken. Li and Rafsanjani exchanged opinions on the two nations' cooperation. China has given its approval for the construction of a nuclear power facility at Bushehr. Previously, it was built in the 1970s by Germany and France, but it was demolished after the 1979 revolution. (W.Garver, 2006, p. 147) China has boosted Iran's economy by designating it a sovereign state and asserting that a self-governing country like Iran has the right to peacefully use nuclear energy. (Lei, 2010). Iran is considered by the United States to be a global proponent of terrorism. Both Washington's and Beijing's perspectives on Iran show an ostensible collision of ideas. In the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran, China plays two roles. It works as both a backer and a "spoiler" in the relationship between these two countries. China makes good use of its dual role. It works as a mediator as a member of the UN Security Council, and it profits from Iran as a "benefactor." (Kasting, 2012)

More than 100 Chinese companies are working in Iran to improve infrastructure, but many European nations have reduced their commerce with Tehran in response to US pressure, while China and other Asian countries are filling the void left by the US. (Lei, 2010) Because Russia has had a long animosity with the United States in the shape of a Cold War from 1945 to 1989, Putin's Russia has numerous differences with the United States. When Iran was isolated by the West, both Russia and China worked with it on a variety of fronts.

A solid relationship with a country like Iran, which is surrounded by oil deposits, has become a need for China. Breaking the relationship between the PRC and Iran has become a difficult procedure for the US. Although the United States has prevented several Chinese enterprises from cooperating with Iran, it has been unable to break this relationship. In March 2011, the Iranian leadership expressed enthusiasm for Sino-Iranian cooperation. They believe that through building long-term relationships with China, they can influence the world order. The President of Iran, Ahmadi Nejad, declared that the order that governs the world is corroded, and its nature is evident to everyone. The world urgently requires a system that belongs to all of humankind (Kasting, 2012). PRC has not acted on these statements from a "rogue" state in any way.

According to David Shambaugh, China's policy-making processes is shifting toward "Hard-line Realists," who regard the US's efforts to remove sanctions on Iran as a symptom of China's restraint policy. (Kasting, 2012) Iran is portrayed as harmful by the PRC, but without Beijing's help, Iran will be unable to withstand international pressure. By starting a massive trade with Iran, it annoys US sanctions. (Chang, 2014) Two containers were sent from China to Port Klang in March 2011, and Malaysian police detained them. Some authorities discovered fissile technology components in the packages. Pharmaceuticals and chemicals were used to hide the pieces. (Chang, 2014) The anti-ship missile Noor was developed with Chinese assistance. Hezbollah, backed by Iran, targeted the Israeli Navy's "Saar 5-class corvete" in 2006. Iran gave Hezbollah the name Noor. (Pham, (2009)) According to the 2008 US China Economic and Security Commission Review, China has signed various international non-proliferation treaties and cooperated with the US on some non-proliferation issues, but China has expressed reservations about efforts to de-nuclearize Iran. (ESRC, 2008)

In the Middle East's conflict between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, and China are clearly pitted against Western powers, particularly the United States. The Western world is in favour of attacking Yemeni mutineers. Saudi Arabia is heading a coalition of Middle Eastern countries including Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, with support from the United Kingdom, the United States, and France.

This graph clearly shows Iran's status. Iran's stance demonstrates that it will be a major ally of Russia and China in the future, if the US engages

in any form of conflict with China or Russia.

Source: Aljazeera

In 2016, PRC and Iran agreed to expand their trade to $600 billion in coming 10 years; After Putin, Xi Jinping is the second UN Security Council leader to visit Iran in the aftermath of the nuclear deal with the US. (Dawn, 2016).

The Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank (AIIB) was launched by China in 2014 to finance infrastructure projects in Asia. China offered Iran to be the member of this bank and Iran showed her keen interest to join that and China made Iran as its 34th member (Young, 2015). In the AIIB China is not going to give membership of US and she did in the case of SCO where US wanted to be a member but China refused it (Hiro, 2006)

In a situation when US is trying to exert pressure on Iran through sanctions and the European signatories of Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is trying for rescuing the nuclear deal, PRC has decided to include Iran into its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with promised investments totalling some $400 billion. This is a great shift of geopolitics in the Middle East. The vital pillar of the new deal is that PRC will invest $280 billion in the development of oil, petrochemicals and gas sectors and another $120 billion will be spent on upgrading transport and manufacturing infrastructure (Torfeh, 2019).

According to The Diplomat, Iran imported 31.7% of its weapons from PRC in 2014. Iran sent many Chinese weapons to Syria for the assistance of Assad against ISIS, Jabbhat al Nusra and other rebel groups (Ramani, China’s Syria Agenda, 2016).

The United States should not "abuse force" and instead seek solutions through dialogue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said through a call with his Iranian colleague on Saturday. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that, the US military operations violate the basic norms of International Relations and it is dangerous for the regional tension and turbulence. Wang made this statement to Javad Zarif of Iran (NDTV, 2020).

North Korea is located in China's south-east corner, sharing a nearly 1416-kilometer border with the country. Historically, this region has been quite near to the People's Republic of China. During the Cold War, North Korea was a strong supporter of Communism. The USSR supported North Korea, while the US supported South Korea. North Korea has not forgotten its past enmity with the United States. It is still a socialist country that is impeding America's global democratic process. In the conflict of 1953, more than 180000 Chinese soldiers were executed. China supported North Korea, which was attacked by South Korea, which was backed by the United States. In 1961, China and North Korea signed the “Sino North Korean mutual aid and cooperation friendship Treaty” If any country attacks North Korea, China has promised to provide all military and other assistance. (MAX B) It was later extended two more times in history, in 1981 and 2001.

China offers North Korea half of the entire aid it offers to other countries across the world. China is a major donor and supporter of North Korea. It is concerned that the destruction of North Korea will lead to the unification of the North and South with the assistance of the United States. They also feel fear of this unified state to be ally of US (FOCUS, 2013). China's UN sanctions policy toward Korea is still unclear. Beijing has remained unconcerned about the trade of dual-use items. Luxury goods exports from China to North Korea are on the rise. (Manyin, 2010) According to China's Ministry of Commerce, overall trade between these two nations was $549.646 million in 1995, and it climbed dramatically to 2680.767 million in 2009 and (CMC) trade with China totalled $2.7 billion in 2018 (Jeong-ho, 2019). The international community, notably the US hegemony, should be concerned about this slow increase in trade with a "rogue" state.

North Korea is China's immediate neighbour, and it has conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. It is now a nuclear power, posing a serious threat to US global dominance. It has honed its missile expertise to an unrivalled level. Despite the United States' best efforts, this country became an atomic power with the support of the People's Republic of China. The United States and South Korea have long been adversaries of North Korea. Without the support of the PRC and Russia, it would not exist. Because it borders China in the southeast, its survival as an independent state is a need for China. When any superpower intervenes, China considers it a threat. When any superpower intervenes in its immediate neighbourhood, China considers it a threat. It favoured sanctions on North Korea as a participant of the six-party talks in order to avoid disrupting its business links with the US, but it later continued to cooperate with North Korea in a variety of industries. China's UN sanctions implementation policy in North Korea is not yet distinct since its primary interest in the region differs significantly from that of the United States. When North Korea tested its nuclear missile in 2009, Beijing reacted negatively, but the two countries later got quite close in terms of commercial relationships in 2010. It has not taken a strict stance on the sale of dual-use equipment, although it has attempted to apply some restrictions related to missile tests. Many observers believe China has failed to prohibit "air trafficking" between North Korea and Iran. (Manyin, 2010)

Despite PRC’s frustration with North Korea, China is not ready to abandon her ally. China supports the aim of denuclearization of the entire Korean Peninsula, but it is not ready to join USA in pushing the regime change in North Korea. Such a change summons several associations in PRC and none of them would be pleasant for China (Savage, 2003).

The economic existence of North Korea mainly depends on the business it does with PRC. Due to her aggressive nature North Korea faces huge sanctions from US and it cannot continue her trade with the rest of the world but at the same time China becomes her last hope to do business with her. The trade graph of China’s share of reported North Korean Merchandise trade from 2000 to 2018 clearly shows that the total merchandise trade North Korea has done from 200 to 2018 with China is much bigger than its total trade with the rest of the world in the same period of time. Chinese are the one to provide shelter to the poor economy of North Korea.

China and Libya have a long history of friendship. Libya's anti-US stance, long-standing enmity with the US, trade expertise, and vast natural riches prompted China to seek stronger ties with Libya. Historically, these two states did a lot of business together. China was also supplying weapons and other military technologies to the United States in order to address security concerns. Libya's natural resources were a major source of Chinese imports. Gadhafi was a staunch anti-American who believed in China's global dominance. Gaddafi received $200 million in arms from China, including "rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, and portable surface-to-surface air missiles"” (Sotllof, 2012). China, as the world's largest oil buyer, relies on Libyan oil. In 2010, China accounted for 11% of Libya's oil exports (Sotllof, 2012).

The Arab Spring has caused concern among many of China's Middle Eastern allies, but China is once again the continent's largest investor. The US achieved its objectives in Libya by removing the Gadhafi regime. The Gadhafi leadership favoured China, but China was unable to adequately sustain its valuable allyChina was an unprecedented co-operator during Gadhafi's rule, but it eventually failed to take a firm stance against the rebels, and as a result, it lost a valuable ally and a significant opportunity in the area. “Before the revolution, Beijing had outstanding contracts worth almost $20 billion, employing 36000 Chinese.” (Sotllof, 2012) For China and Russia, this was a major setback. This is unquestionably a victory for the United States in the New Cold War.

China's aim is to progress peacefully, yet this policy did not allow her to intervene in that situation. China's cowardice in the region is revealed in certain documents According to records from the Gaddafi government, China and other countries played a second "game" in the Libyan crisis, posing as neutral while secretly assisting an autocrat. (Smith, 2011)

The same records revealed details regarding Gadhafi's security personnel's secret trip to Beijing. They arrived on July 16th and talked with engineers from weaponry companies such as "China North Industries Crop." (NARINO) “The China national precision machinery import & export Corp”. (CPMIC); “The China Xinxing Import & Export Corp.” These businesses handed up the contents of "Stockpiles for Sale" and promised to deliver more. (Smith, 2011) Rebels backed by the Western world, mainly the United States, overthrew Gadhafi's government. The Libyan crisis gave China valuable lessons about loss because it was a setback in China's Cold War with the United States. In May 2018, Petro China, China's state-owned oil corporation, signed a multibillion-dollar contract with Libya's National Oil Corporation to assist Libya in increasing its oil production. The NOC-PRC agreement paved the path for Libya to join China's Belt and Road Initiative in July 2018 (Ramani, 2019).

China and Syria

Syria has always attempted to strengthen its ties with China in order to create a regional counterbalance to the United States. In the people's daily, Bashar al Assad expressed his optimism about emerging China by saying, "China's role as a superpower is very significant in the absence of the USSR." Its significance has grown for Syria and other tiny countries. It is a "key ingredient" in international politics. For many issues it is highly needed in the Middle East, for the “peace process” (Pham, (2009)). Syria may not have a lot of natural resources, but its location is crucial. Russia and China are also supporting this region in order to prevent a domino effect of Interventions. Syria shares a border with Iran, and the Western world's presence in Syria poses a direct threat to Iran. Iran could be the next target, as it is in Russia's and China's best interests. “The officials said Russia warned it may potentially reply if US or Arab air operations go beyond targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, and instead bomb any Syrian regime target,” Russia claimed in October 2014, while the US was bombing Syria (Klein, 2014). Russia's stance on Syria is harsher than China's, and it favours China because Russia is a veteran of the Cold War with the United States, and it has many qualms about US actions. Its strong ties and collaboration with China attest to its proximity. On May 22, 2014, BBC News reported that Russia and China have halted the implementation of Western resolutions. Since 2o11, Syria has had around 160000 dead and 9.5 million people have been displaced (BBC, 2014). China condemned the use of force in Syria and urged all parties to work together to restore peace. It strongly supported UN Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043. The first concerns the dispatch of 30 peaceful "observers," while the second concerns the establishment of a "UN Supervision Mission in Syria" ( UNSMIS) (Szczudlik-Tatar, 2012). On the one hand, China's efforts at the UN forum regarding the Syrian situation were commendable, but the PRC also presented its own Syria strategy. It stressed several peaceful solutions to the problem. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs proposed a six-point agenda. On the agenda were the following items:

1- Both the government and the opposition should put an end to the hostilities.

2- A negotiation should be pushed forward by both parties.

3- China expresses its support for UN "Humanitarian Assistance" and is willing to provide assistance, but it opposes any engagement in Syria's internal affairs in the name of humanitarian intervention.

4- The international community should respect Syria's sovereign status; China opposes any armed action to overthrow Syria's government.

5- The PRC considers the UN and Arab League joint special emissary to Syria and their efforts to achieve peace.

6- All members of the UNSC should adhere to the UN Charter (Szczudlik-Tatar, 2012).

China and Russia casted its 6th veto to defend Bashar ul Assad, administration from the Security Council’s sanctions over accusations of chemical weapons attack. Russia stopped sanctions on Syria for the seventh time (Zhou, 2017).

The Chinese military official announced to deliver humanitarian finance and personal drill to Syrian President Assad administrations on august 18, 2016. Such a Chinese announcement was done just after the visit of Rear Admiral Guan Youfei to Syria. Guan negotiated with Syrian Defense Minister Fahd and consulted with Sergei the head officer at Russia’s naval base in Lataki (Ramani, China’s Syria Agenda, 2016).

On august 1, 2018, a discussion between PRC, representative to Syria name Qi and China’s military envoy Wang Roy, was described in a news story by Al Watan Newspaper of Syria. Bestowing to this section Qi has upheld that the armed forces of China are enthusiastic to pay “in some way” to impending Idlib and other fierce confutes on the ground in Damascus. Wang Roy elaborated Qi ‘s point and claimed that military cooperation of China with Syria is “Already underway”. (Marks, 2018)

President Xi announced $23billion in Chinese loan and $90million in humanitarian aid to Syria, Jordan, and Yemen collectively at China-Arab states cooperation forum. China had assured Syria to make an infrastructure development in the post war scenario, they had assured to develop communication system, construction of railroads etc. (Marks, 2018)

The order of pulling out of 2000 US troops from Syria made by Donald Trump in the December 2018, was made by claiming that the ISIS has been defeated. China sees Syria's crisis as an opportunity to profit economically and grow its influence in the Middle East, thereby bolstering its Belt and Road programme in those areas. (Tay, 2019)

The conflict between China and Russia over Syria demonstrates the presence of a New Cold War in the region. Because of Russia and China's support for Syria, the US has not been successful. Both of these powers' positions in the Yemen crisis are identical to their positions in Syria. China never kept mute during the Syrian crisis, despite its implicit approval of the US engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. China and Russia have continued to sell armaments to the Assad regime. It sends forth additional signs of China's concern and involvement in global politics.

President Trump of the United States has labelled China and Russia as "revisionist powers," and Iran and North Korea as "rogue states," all of which pose significant security risks to the United States. He promised to maintain power balance by modernising the US army (ABS.CBN, 2017).

On the one hand, the US is attempting to limit the growing power of "Rogues," while on the other, the PRC is collaborating with them in order to increase their authority. Both China and the United States are cooperating on numerous fronts, but when it comes to “rogue” states, China violates its own pledges, which it makes in UN resolutions. On the one hand, the US is attempting to limit the growing power of "Rogues," while on the other, the PRC is collaborating with them in order to increase their authority. Both China and the United States are cooperating on numerous fronts, but when it comes to “rogue” states, China violates its own pledges, which it makes in UN resolutions. The United States' goal in imposing sanctions on "rogue" states is to isolate them from global politics, and the PRC appears to be a stumbling block in that effort. China has maintained a significant amount of trade with all of these countries. China has never isolated these countries, and this action by China gives these countries even more confidence to undertake nuclear tests. China demonstrates its commitment to non-proliferation by participating in six party talks, and its role becomes murky by engaging with these Rogue states. The problem of Iran has sparked a new Cold War between the United States and China. China is bolstering a formidable opponent of the United States. For the past 20 years, China has played a critical role in the expansion of missile and nuclear technology through its exports and aid. It sells military hardware, including "ballistic missiles" (S.Shujia, 2008). The US would not be able to intervene in Iran's domestic affairs in the same way it intervened in failed states like Afghanistan after 9/11. The United States has been unable to intervene directly in Iran. China and Russia do not want the United States to visit Iran because it is naturally located near both of these great powers. If the United States had not been backed by the People's Republic of China and Russia, it would have intervened in Iran. In truth, this is the second Cold War, which saved Iran from American interference. In the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, the United States launched attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq. Following the invasion on Iraq, Iran was at the top of the priority list. Along with the United States' global supremacy, Iran, China, and Russia are forming strong ties (Ahrari, 2001). In future, it would be much difficult for US to demean Iran in the presence of China and Russia. China will never left Iran alone if US coerces Iran to its utmost. In the presence of a mounting China, sanctions of US will be less operative because China is a sufficient Market for Iran to import and export its merchandises. Hossein Shariatmadari the Editor of “Kayhan” states, “Sanctions are not effective nowadays because we have many options in secondary markets, like China.” (Wright, 2004)

In the early years after the end of the Old Cold War, a new phase of Cold War may be clearly discerned. China, for example, was once a "rogue" state that quickly built itself economically and became a beacon of hope for other "rogue" states such as Syria, Iran, Libya, and North Korea. PRC aided "rogues" in competing with US dominance in various parts of the world. The presence of "Rogues" in the globe is a powerful source of intimidation for superpowers, which is why the Western world imposes sanctions on these "Rogues." China is increasingly successful in rendering these restrictions ineffective by cooperating on a variety of fronts. “China was once considered a "rogue" state. China's isolation rivalled North Korea's during the Mao-Zedong years, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, so it naturally gravitated toward its Rogue peers; they could offer each other things they couldn't obtain from nations that shunned them” (Fish, 2010). There are seven nuclear-weapons- Iran, North Korea, and Syria, on the other hand, are not allowed to have this capability. These states are promoting violence in the United States. Except for Iran, these states were pro-USSR during the Cold War, and they never recognised uni-polarity or the US's global hegemony. Before the revolution of 1979, Iran was regarded as a watchdog for the United States in the Middle East. Iran turned anti-American after 1979. In the Korean War of 1953, the United States sided with South Korea and provided enormous support. North Korea was backed by the Soviet Union, which was communist. North Korea, likewise, has become a strong ally of China. China will not agree to any regime change in North Korea. North Korea's survival is a requirement for China. China will go to any length to ensure that North Korea remains an independent state. China is concerned that a united North Korea, backed by the United States, will cause issues for China. Similarly, China cannot abandon its partnership with Iran. PRC desperately needs Iran's oil reserves. Second, Iran, as an Eastern country, shares a border with China. “China's anti-US hegemonist solidarity with Iran posed the risk of sparking retaliation from the US” (W.Garver, 2006). It is China's largest trading partner. China is Iran's valued ally, and Iran views China as a viable alternative to the United States. Iran has produced a large number of nuclear capabilities to date, which is a significant achievement for the countries of the Old Communist Bloc, such as Russia and China. Iran has a policy of "looking east," which puts the western world in jeopardy. Both China and Russia have opposing positions in the Syrian conflict. The Western world initially favoured overthrowing Bashar-ul-administration, Assad's but China sided with him since he was a Syrian president who saw the PRC as a superpower. Saudi Arabia was backed by Western countries throughout the recent Yemen crisis, but China, Russia, and Iran have taken a different approach than the West. Russia, Iran, and China all opposed to the conflict, but the United States is supporting Saudi Arabia in its struggle against Yemen's Houthi tribes.

As a result, the clash of interests and opposing viewpoints on various issues between the US and China are clearly evident. It suggests that a Second Cold War is raging between these two countries despite no formal declaration. Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Libya would not have been able to exist as sovereign states without the help of China and Russia. These states would have been democratised according to the wishes of the United States. Without the presence of a force capable of challenging US hegemony, North Korea's survival as an anti-US country with limited nuclear capabilities would be a pipe dream. All of these are achievements in the New Cold War between the United States and the People's Republic of China.