The China-Russia Alliance Won't Last

Reuters

James Jay Carafano, The National: Why the China-Russia Alliance Won't Last

Beijing and Moscow don’t even have to pretend the liberal world order is a speed-bump in their joint ventures. Both happily engage with the world’s most odious regimes, from Syria to Venezuela. And, of course, neither has any compunction about playing dirty when it serves their interests.

So, now everybody wants to be Bismarck. They see themselves shaping history by artfully moving big pieces on the geostrategic chessboard. And one gambit they just can’t resist is moving to snip the growing bonds of Sino-Russian cooperation.

My advice to them: Just stop.

Fears of an allied China and Russia running amok around the world are overblown. Indeed, there is so much friction between these “friends,” any attempt to team up would likely give both countries heat rash.

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WNU Editor: The current Russia - China relationship is primarily based on economics. Military and political cooperation is playing a role, but these are junior issues when it comes to trade and economic cooperation. As long as both sides feel that they are benefiting from this cooperation, they will continue to deal with each other. But Russia's long term focus is with Europe, not China. This Russian focus on Europe is based on culture and history, and once sanctions and political tensions are gone, and they will be gone one day, my prediction is that China will not be a priority for the Kremlin.