China’s new “aggressive diplomacy” has become a real headache for the Kremlin: Russia will have to choose

1989 After suppressing student protests at Tiananmen Square, China found itself in an unenviable position. The brutal crackdown on protesters has been widely condemned by western states. Not long after, the United States (USA) and the European Union (EU) imposed an arms embargo on China, which remains in force to this day.

In later years, Beijing found an unexpected partner: post-Soviet Russia, according to nationalinterest.org. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the financial collapse of the Russian arms industry, so he was very interested in establishing trade relations with China, whose economy was growing rapidly. Over the next decade, China purchased fighters and missile launchers from Russia to modernize its troops, and became the largest customer in Russia’s arms market.

More than 30 years later, a new crisis could bring the two countries back together. The outbreak of the new coronavirus in China’s industrial center, Uhane, has turned into a global pandemic and economic crisis in a matter of months, and several countries have begun to break their teeth.

Amid these riots, Russia is one of the few states that protects China from criticism. As the current global health crisis takes on a growing geopolitical tone, Moscow and Beijing expect mutual support.

In recent months, the coronavirus pandemic has seriously damaged China’s global image and its business interests abroad. The attack on Beijing is led by the United States: the Donald Trump government blames China for the coronavirus pandemic, and more and more Republican senators threaten to pass criminal legislation against China. Several European governments have accused China of exploiting the crisis for political gain and sending inappropriate test teams.

Even some of China’s close partners in Africa have attacked Beijing over alleged public health restrictions that discriminate against its citizens. In addition, several economically stronger Asian countries have taken steps to reduce their dependence on China. For example, earlier this month, Japan announced that it would offer financial incentives to its companies if they agreed to repatriate production in China. India has introduced new restrictions on foreign investment to prevent Chinese buyers from “opportunistically acquiring” their companies.

In this context, Russia has become one of the few countries that fiercely defend China in the international arena. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned calls for China to repair the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, calling them “unacceptable and shocking.” “When I hear those things, my hair stops,” said the minister.

Well, Russian President Vladimir Putin disagreed with criticism that China did not react quickly enough to the situation and did not stop the pandemic. April 16 In a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin said the criticism was “counterproductive.” However, the Russian leader took another step and praised the “methodical and effective” actions taken by the Chinese authorities in the fight against the new coronavir, saying that the crisis had become “another test of a special and comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and China. “

Furthermore, although many countries have recently cut economic relations with Beijing, Moscow has strengthened them. The Kremlin announced on Wednesday that it had given the National Welfare Fund permission to start investing in Chinese yuan and government bonds.

The Russian government also plans to implement a series of major new projects with China once the pandemic subsides. The planned projects include both a new gas pipeline to China and an ambitious new railway line connecting the Arctic and Indian Ocean ports.

In turn, Beijing is buying more Russian oil as world black gold prices fall. According to Reuters, China imported 31 percent in March. more Russian crude compared to last year. Such actions by China have helped Russian oil extraction and refining companies avoid bankruptcy as demand for coronaviruses in Europe declines.
Russia’s desire to forge closer ties with China is not new. Since 2014 Moscow has been actively trying to persuade Beijing that it will help reduce pressure from the West. The COVID-19 pandemic only further convinced Russia that China is the future, said Alexei Maslov, director of the Institute of Far East Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences.

“China is considered a country that has not only defeated the coronavirus, but is also successfully dealing with economic problems,” he explained. “Let us not forget that many hope that, after overcoming internal difficulties, the Chinese begin to actively expand their influence and propose a new geopolitical model.”

Maslov believes that the People’s Republic of China will need a powerful partner, like Russia, to realize its global ambitions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the face of rapidly deteriorating relations with the United States. He told National Interest that Moscow could use this leverage to gain Beijing’s support for its geopolitical initiatives.

China is also considering further cooperation with Russia. If relations with Washington continue to deteriorate, Beijing will intensify efforts to deepen economic ties with Moscow, said Xin Zhang, an expert on Sino-Russian relations at the East China Convention University in Shanghai.

“Yes [JAV ir Kinijos] “The collapse of relations will come true, not a common word at the negotiating table, and then China will look for possible ways to restructure its industrial production chains in Russia and Eurasia,” he said.

X. Zhang noted that one of the areas where Russia and China are likely to accelerate cooperation between them after the end of the coronavirus pandemic is abandoning the dollar. In recent years, these countries have taken some initial steps to reduce their dependence on the US dollar, but the process has slowed down significantly due to Beijing’s low interest. Rising tensions between China and the United States will change the situation, Zhang said.

However, in Moscow, some fear that Russia will become the loser of a new Cold War between the United States and China. While Russia has previously benefited from increased tensions between Washington and Beijing, the latest conflict may have gone too far, said Dmitry Suslov, professor of international relations at the Moscow Faculty of Economics at the National Research University.
“The growing confrontation between the United States and China poses serious challenges for Russia, since the more acute the conflict, the greater the pressure on Moscow to join both sides, which it is reluctant to do,” he said.

Suslov added that China’s increasingly persistent foreign policy was another headache for Moscow. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Beijing has embarked on a new tactic of “aggressive diplomacy,” and several Chinese ambassadors have been involved in high-profile disputes with countries representing China.

“Many Russian observers are under the impression that the coronavirus has destroyed another psychological and political constraint on China’s foreign policy, one that has prevented China from establishing itself as a role model for other states and becoming a world leader,” Suslov said.

Over the past decade, both Russia and China have demanded “the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.” The common antipathy of the two to the United States’ efforts to promote democracy globally has become a key feature that has brought countries closer, but Suslov warned that a brave China could demand that Russia do the same.

So far, Russia has admired China’s struggle against coronavir. Can Beijing’s win, too strong, make these friendly feelings frustrating?