Will Siberia's Be China's One Day?

Between Russia And China, A Demographic Time Bomb -- Taylor Washburn, National Interest

In his recent commentary, “The Avoidable Russia-China Romance,” Nikolas Gvosdev provides a strong case that despite recent examples of teamwork between the two powers, a sustained collaboration is hardly inevitable. Gvosdev focuses on the ways in which the United States can limit the risk that a “Eurasian entente” will arise in the near term, refuting the notion that such an alignment is historically determined.

Regarding the Sino-Russian relationship through a wider temporal lens not only reinforces Gvosdev’s conclusion, but suggests that the tide of history may begin to drag the two nations towards contention rather than conspiracy. Recent instances of tactical and diplomatic cooperation between Beijing and Moscow show why Washington should remain open to working with each, yet these initiatives also hide an obstacle in the path to partnership. Set when Russia acquired a portion of Manchuria in the nineteenth century, a demographic time-bomb may bring any marriage of convenience to an unhappy end.

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My Comment: This is Russia's biggest fear in the east .... what will over-populated China do if Siberia is sparsely populated. After all .... from the Russian perspective there is a scary historical precedent for this .... the Nazis invaded the Soviet Union because they wanted lands in the east to expand their own populations at some future date.

For more info on the 2008 China - Russian border agreement, go here.