Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a welcome ceremony for a Confidence Building Summit in Shanghai last year. (Photo : Reuters)
A future clash between China and Russia is highly improbable, contrary to what Western researchers and media would like to portray. U.S. scholar Joseph Nye said that the imbalances in Russian-Chinese relations may cause a serious rift in the ties of the two countries.
This observation is incorrect as China and Russia have established a strategic partnership since the 1960s. Maybe it is safe to say that all countries undergo ups and downs in the relations, but it seems unlikely for both China and Russia to sever their ties that would result in clashes.
Oleg Ivanov, a professor in the Political Science Department at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow, cited in his article that even Canada and the U.S. have their differences over the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, but it did not result in war and both countries have tried to settle their dispute peacefully.
If one compares the relations between Russia and China, the situation is different. Neither Russia nor China tries to impose its will on each other, to export its values or have territorial claims on each other. There are no serious contradictions in bilateral relations.
On the whole, the positive dynamics are steady. Russia found itself under heavy pressure from the U.S. because of its desire to pursue an independent policy.
In addition to this, a comparison between the relationship between China and Russia would tell that their situation is completely different. Their differences are not rooted in territorial dispute or hostility, and their bilateral relations remain intact. In fact, China and Russia are under U.S. pressure due to their pursuit of independent policy.
In truth, the reason for the U.S. concern is that China and Russia have a common desire to build a new order where the U.S. and other Western countries will have no political, social and economic influence.
