In Moscow, China and Russia have held a new round of strategic security consultations, such consultations between the two major powers have been very frequent in recent months, as the world has shown a dangerous trend towards anarchy, disorder or tension in some regions, including the Middle East.
Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Western Pacific Ocean due to global strategic changes taking place with the United States,
Chinese analysts say that recent changes have been driven largely by the degradation of US hegemony, and that the rapprochement between China and Russia is driven not only by US pressure and hostility, but also by the fact that Washington’s declining influence in some regions is also causing Beijing and Moscow to think about how to form a new regional order to stabilize the situation and protect their interests after the US withdraws.
Leading Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi and secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev were co-chairs of the 16th Round of Strategic Security Consultations, a high-level meeting on Tuesday dedicated to strategic cooperation in ensuring regional and global security and countering geopolitical threats.
On Tuesday, Yang, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCP) and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Central Committee of the CPC, during a teleconference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, conveyed to him a message from President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, in which he once again reaffirmed the importance of China’s bilateral relations and Russia.
The Russian President responded to the message, expressed the hope that Yang will convey his greetings to President Xi, and the two leaders will continue to maintain close ties. The parties also discussed issues related to the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia, emphasizing the importance of the Treaty on Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia and the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of this treaty, as well as a number of topical topics on world politics. After his visit to Russia, Jan will also visit two Eastern European EU member states – Slovenia and Croatia.
Reorder
While China and Russia have repeatedly stated that they do not intend to challenge the United States and that their cooperation is not targeted against any third party, growing pressure from the United States and its allies has always been a key topic in negotiations between China and Russia.
After Ian told US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during the March 2 + 2
Dialogue in Alaska that the US had no right to “speak to China from a position of strength,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said in a media interview in the same month that Russia would not allow the United States or any other country to speak to it “from a position of strength”.
Such remarks made by China and Russia towards the United States are a clear signal to the world that US hegemony will no longer be tolerated, and that a world order dominated by the United States and its allies cannot maintain stability in many regions, and moreover, such an order, according to Chinese experts, generates tensions and conflicts.
The hasty US withdrawal from Afghanistan led to a sharp increase in violence in the country, and the US position on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which led to heavy casualties among civilians, blocked international mediation through the UN Security Council. Experts consider this to be all signs of the “wobbling” Pax Americana, which are worrying China, Russia and other countries.
Yang Jin, an expert from the Institute for Russian, Eastern Europe and Central Asia Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that at the same time the United States is putting pressure on China and Russia, they are simultaneously leaving many regions leaving unresolved problems there, and all these regions, such as the Middle East and Central Asia, are closely linked to the interests of China and Russia.
Thus, Beijing and Moscow must maintain close coordination to deal with the situation ahead, including how to establish a new order that will replace the one dominated by the United States when the latter ceases to function, Yang Jin said.
Chinese analysts said the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an international organization founded by China and Russia, will need to play a larger role in the peace process in Afghanistan and may consider granting Afghanistan membership. At the same time, the United States, in order to maintain its military presence in the region, is going to transfer its troops from Afghanistan to other countries of Central Asia, and this also represents a new problem that needs to be addressed by China and Russia.
Problems with hotspots
According to Chinese experts, Chinese and Russian officials focused their attention on a number of regional and global problems, such as stability in Central Asia after the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, foreign interference in the internal affairs of their states, Western threats to the political security of the two countries and their neighbors. or allies, cybersecurity and the campaign against disinformation, and the issue of biolaboratory safety. Wang Xianju, Deputy Director and Research Fellow at the China-Russia Renmin University – the Russian Research Center of St. created by the US-led Quad alliance, which could affect the security of China and Russia.
Also, the attention of China and Russia is drawn to a shift in India’s position – which reportedly relies on Quad to undermine Russia’s influence in the region, while China and Russia have yet to agree on their positions on such a regional strategy by the Biden administration.
The leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States met in March, calling the Quad meeting “historic” in addressing regional problems, while Russia sharply criticized the Quartet, accusing the West, led by the United States, of using India as a target. his anti-Chinese game.
“It appears that the Biden administration has not abandoned the Indo-Pacific strategy formulated by the previous Trump administration”, – Wang said.
In connection with the latest incident of the Belarusian government’s arrest of an opposition activist at the Minsk airport, relations between Belarus and other Western countries are becoming more tense, and since Belarus is a close partner of both major powers in the region, both Chinese and Russian high-ranking officials can also discuss this issue.
Putin’s visit to China?
Over the past years, China and Russia have maintained close ties, interaction, exchange of information, especially in the context of the US containment policy and the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. According to analysts, the friendship between the two countries has reached the highest level.
Last year, the leaders of the two countries spoke on the phone five times on the practical agenda, and on December 28, 2020, at the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Treaty on Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between China and Russia, the leaders specifically pointed to this. In 2021, the two countries expect to reach an even higher level, a wider scale of cooperation.
US President Joe Biden will meet with Russian President Putin in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, 2021, and the two leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues to restore predictability and stability to US-Russian relations. After the Russian-American summit, according to the Chinese expert, President Putin would also be wise to visit China to further coordinate with Beijing on global issues.
Putin could visit China after his summit with Biden in June and before the 20th anniversary of the July 16, 2001, Sino-Russian Friendship Treaty. On July 1, the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party will be held, which could be a wonderful occasion and environment for a possible visit, analysts say.
“Sino-Russian relations are steadily developing. It is very likely that Putin, given the epidemic situation, will visit China in July on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty”, – which means from June to July. As Wang said, the trilateral relationship between China, Russia and the United States is likely to be marked by a number of important events.
Russian Demiurge