Will warmer ties between US and Russia leave China out in the cold?
Nomination of oil executive with close links to Vladimir Putin as US secretary of state could signal new era in relations – leaving Moscow with less incentive to compromise with Beijing, say observers
As ExxonMobil’s chief executive, Tillerson gained extensive experience in Russia and forged close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Picking someone with wide connections in Russia would help to boost economic cooperation
Putin went so far as to give Tillerson a top state honour in 2013 for his work in “strengthening cooperation in the energy sector”.
If Tillerson’s appointment did mark the start of a new era in relations between the Kremlin and the White House, Moscow would have less incentive to compromise with Beijing, especially in central Asia, where both Russia and China were showing greater interest, observers said.
But analysts also said less confrontation between the world’s two biggest military powers would “bring a more stable global security environment”, which would not be bad news for China.