Not just ‘convenient’: China and Russia’s new strategic partnership in the age of geopolitics

The argument made here runs counter to that often found in the more mainstream literature on the China-Russia relationship. This literature is of course varied and rich; it does not tell a single story. But amongst a very large number of experts the view has been – and in many respects remains – that there will always be much more that divides Moscow and Beijing than unites them. This I suggest is not only contradicted by an increasingly large body of evidence, it also runs the very real risk of misunderstanding the geopolitical challenge facing the United States and its allies in both Europe and Asia. This is not to be alarmist; the US and its allies still retain formidable advantage. Nor for a moment am I suggesting that we are in the midst of some new – largely mythical – Cold War. But it is to suggest that unless we call things by their right name, there is a very real chance that two very illiberal powers who have no interest in supporting the current liberal order could make hay while the democracies keep on reassuring themselves that there is very little to be concerned about, because at the end of the day China and Russia are more likely to be (or become) rivals than partners, more likely to turn into serious competitors and enemies than allies