Beijing dominant partner in Russia-China relationship, US congressman Fallon says

The balance of power in the Russia-China relationship has evolved to the point that Beijing is now the dominant partner and the primary threat to the United States, according to US Congressman Pat Fallon.

Speaking at the Hudson Institute during a discussion about the first year of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, Fallon said while Russia and China have long had a strategic partnership, the world has now “seen that senior partnership shift”.

“Look where we are today. China has roughly 11 times the population of Russia, and they have a GDP nearly on par with us, where the Russians economically are laughable,” Fallon claimed, adding that if Russia didn’t have the nuclear weapons it does, it wouldn’t be the player it is.

“Texas has a larger economy than Russia, which I guess makes me more powerful than Putin,” he joked.

This is a notable year for China-Russia relations, as it is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation.