China is quietly exploiting Russia’s rift with the West to expand its influence in the geopolitical, security, technological, and financial domains. Are Russia and its neighbors becoming a testing ground for a new Beijing-centered regional order? Is a Pax Sinica emerging?
Against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis, Russian president Putin’s first post-pandemic visit to China is taking on major importance. Sino-Russian relations have flourished in recent years, with Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping presiding over a rapid expansion of military, economic, financial, and technological ties.
Even if there is cause for competition in Central Asia, both Moscow and Beijing see friendly bilateral relations as a priority, especially against the backdrop of their escalating confrontation with the West.
Russia needs foreign students, and not only to diversify its exports. Connections with people who have lived in a partner state are a valuable resource for fostering cooperation and an instrument of soft power.
If the pandemic has highlighted one source of friction in Russia-China relations, it is inadequate governance.
How deep is the security partnership between China and Russia really, beyond the curated images projected by the two propaganda machines? What sources of potential tension are there between Moscow and Beijing, and is the situation in Central Asia following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan one of them? Please join Alexander Gabuev, Janka Oertel and Raffaello Pantucci to discuss these issues.
What are the key drivers and obstacles in Sino-Russian economic cooperation? How badly does China need Russian commodities exports? Is Russia concerned about China’s growing geoeconomic clout, and does it have any alternatives? Join Alexander Gabuev, Vita Spivak and Jiayi Zhou to explore these issues and more.
What are the driving forces and goals behind China’s nuclear buildup? Should the ongoing U.S.-Russian arms control talks take into account Chinese progress? And does China’s refusal to take part in those talks render them meaningless?
By acting as the driving force behind anti-Chinese initiatives, Lithuania hopes to focus U.S. attention on the region and procure guarantees that Washington will not scale back its presence in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states.
Moscow has much leverage over Europe as a gas supplier, but an over-reliance on Beijing carries long-term strategic risks
China’s new isolation has created plenty of difficulties in Sino-Russian ties, but its influence on strategic relations should not be exaggerated: the problems that have arisen can hardly be described as a serious crisis.
China’s energy infrastructure is simply not yet ready for Beijing’s concerted efforts to curb emissions, which opens up new opportunities for Russian hydrocarbon exporters.
Testing the possibilities of internationalizing the Chinese currency in Russia is a tempting prospect for both Beijing and Moscow, but agreements on paper simply aren’t enough to change reality.
