On April 16, 2021, the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies (RUSI) held a webinar themed “Navigating the Indo-Pacific: Russia and China”, bringing together an international panel of Chinese and Russian academics, including ZHAO Huasheng, Professor, Institute of International Studies, Fudan University/China Forum Expert; LI Chen, Research Fellow, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University/ Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Renmin University of China; Alexander Gabuev, Senior Fellow, Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program, Carnegie Moscow Center; and Artyom Lukin, Associate Professor, Far Eastern Federal University, among others. The panel took a deep dive into issues around the China-Russia partnership.  

With multilateral organizations at its core, Russia’s partnership with China has become the cornerstone of Moscow’s pivot to Asia, Russian experts said. There is ample room for cooperation between the two countries, and the rise of the Indo-Pacific strategy and the Quad has left open the possibility of a new strategic relationship between Moscow and Beijing.

Professor Zhao acknowledged the developments in the China-Russia relationship and expressed optimism for its advancement, dismissing the feasibility of a US attempt to drive a wedge between Russia and China, who have established enough trust, understanding, norms, and paradigms to effectively manage the hitches in their ties.

Professor Zhao addressed concerns that Russia’s shift to China would lead to overdependence in economy and energy by pointing out that as its trade is heavily tilted toward Europe, Russia is merely seeking a more balanced trade structure and diversified energy markets. 

Recalling the long history of China-Russian military cooperation, Professor Li stressed that this military partnership, despite its recent advancement, could not be equated with the alliance among Western countries, and that both China and Russia pursue diversified cooperation on military diplomacy and international security.