Sino File | Forget the Xi-Putin bromance, the US-UK special relationship is more special than the China-Russia one

The ‘big five’ of the UN Security Council have split into two sets of opposite alliances: the US, Britain and France on one side, China and Russia on the other

One of the relationships has stood the test of time – is the other just a marriage of convenience?

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Theresa May, U.K. prime minister, left, welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump to number 10 Downing Street in London, U.K., on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. With the country preparing for the appointment of a new prime minister, Trump called on the British to throw off the "shackles" of European Union membership in a tweet before a banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth II. Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Published: 11:15am, 16 Jun 2019Updated: 11:06pm, 10 Dec 2019

The UN Charter of 1945 that granted permanent seats on the Security Council to the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, did so shortly after the “big five” had emerged as victorious allies in World War II.

Behind the decision was the belief that world peace could be kept only when every member of this influential group agreed to work together. The fact that within two decades of the war ending the five all went on to become nuclear powers served only to underline the foresight of this decision.

Fast forward three quarters of a century from that charter and the “big five” are clearly split between two sets of opposite alliances. This was on show last week, when US President Donald Trump visited both Britain and France, while Chinese leader Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia.

Both leaders appeared keen to underscore their alliances – the Washington-London axis and the Beijing-Moscow axis – amid rising tensions. Russia is now under US-led sanctions, while China and the US are in the middle of a mutually destructive trade war. The diplomatic fanfare surrounding the visits also served to drown out, momentarily, recent confrontations in the Security Council. Recently, the US, Britain and France have voted together to condemn the massacre of civilians in Sudan, while Russia and China have teamed up to block them. Beijing and Moscow have also tended to veto US-led resolutions designed to pressure President Bashar al-Assad over the war in Syria.

US President Donald Trump joins French President Emmanuel Macron for the D-Day commemorations. Photo: AFP

Trump’s trip to Europe saw him join French President Emmanuel Macron in attending the 75th anniversary of the allies’ D-Day landings in France. Xi, meanwhile, was marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two former communist allies.

Trump’s visit was also aimed at underscoring America’s “special relationship” with Britain, a country that faces great uncertainty both in its post-Brexit future and in who will lead the country as it attempts to leave the European Union. But the visit also comes amid a low point in relations, with many Britons protesting against Trump’s visit.

Xi’s visit to Russia, his eighth since 2013, was also aimed at cementing a special relationship, with the Chinese leader claiming ties were at their “highest level in history”.

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