Banking on Beijing: what the Ukraine crisis means for the future of China-Russia relations

Düben, Björn Alexander (2015) Banking on Beijing: what the Ukraine crisis means for the future of China-Russia relations. Strategic Update (15.3). LSE IDEAS, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

Text (LSE IDEAS Strategic Update July 2015) - Published Version Download (661kB)

Abstract

The crisis in Ukraine has propelled China-Russia relations to new heights. Against the backdrop of the events in Eastern Europe, Beijing and Moscow have been able to initiate a number of bilateral economic, financial and energy projects that have promised an unprecedented degree of integration between the two countries. Most of these plans are unlikely to be fully implemented, but Russia’s novel isolation has provided the impulse to open up various sectors of the Russian economy that were previously off limits to the Chinese. Moscow’s move to seek much closer integration with Beijing derives from tactical considerations, rather than a coherent long-term strategy, and Russia’s growing isolation from the West will likely render it continuously more dependent on China. Beijing’s official reaction to the turmoil in Ukraine has been reticent and equivocal, but the major state-controlled Chinese media have been outspokenly supportive of Russia’s claims. The apparent ambivalence in China’s reaction to the Ukraine crisis reflects its concerns about the most problematic aspect of Moscow’s actions there – the blatant infringement of Ukraine’s sovereignty and the annexation of a part of its territory. But Beijing’s irritation about Russia’s blatant violations of the principles of sovereignty and non-interference was largely offset by its even more profound opposition to the pro-Western regime change in Kiev. Russia’s actions in Ukraine have also resonated with nationalist factions in Beijing who have long argued for a greater assertiveness in advancing China’s own territorial claims vis-à-vis its neighbours.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Official URL:	https://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/publications/updates/b...
Additional Information:	© 2015 The Author
Divisions:	IGA: LSE IDEAS
Subjects:	J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) J Political Science > JZ International relations
Date Deposited:	03 Dec 2020 14:00
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 23:51
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/107552

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