EditorialStronger ties between China and Russia must not leave others out in cold
- As two leaders take their nations’ relations to new heights amid damaging US policies, they will also have to ensure good relations with Asia, Europe and beyond
Xi made evident the strength of relations, calling Putin “my best friend and colleague” and pointing out that he had met the Russian leader almost 30 times in the past six years. So far on the three-day trip, marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the sides have pledged to deepen economic and military ties and signed a package of trade deals, while Xi unveiled a gift of two pandas at Moscow’s zoo. Tellingly, Chinese technology giant Huawei has been given the go-ahead to develop with Russian telecommunications firm MTS a 5G network in Russia. The US, waging a trade and tech war against China, has made Huawei a centrepiece of its strategy.
Bilateral trade has been rapidly growing and was last year valued at more than US$100 billion, up 27.1 per cent year on year. Cooperation is expanding in a wide range of areas including aerospace, energy, Arctic exploration and people-to-people exchanges. Transcending friendship, deals and panda diplomacy, though, is the new path Beijing and Moscow have embarked on. It has been brought on by the United States through policies that have led to complementary grievances.
In the Trump administration’s latest national security strategy, the neighbours are paired and determined to “challenge American power, influence and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity”. Coupled with the trade and tech war with China and sanctions against Russia over Ukraine and accusations that both have interfered in American politics, their drawing closer was inevitable. They have common platforms and shared interests in issues that the US has either pulled away from or taken issue with, including climate change, North Korea, Iran, Syria and Venezuela.
A new strategic partnership for China and Russia has benefits for both as they push to attain development goals and strengthen their ability to counter Trump’s protectionism and unilateralism. But, in moving closer, they also have to ensure good relations with Asia, Europe and elsewhere so as not to isolate themselves and inadvertently create a cold war-like alliance.