The British edition has produced a surprisingly good, non-propagandistic analysis of the basis of friendly relations between Russia and China, which confirms our earlier conclusions.
“Xi Jinping and Putin’s relationship remains strong because it is based on a shared worldview. Both see the United States as the main threat. Moscow and Beijing believe that the US is trying to surround Russia and China with hostile military alliances: NATO in Europe and US bilateral alliances with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region,” the newspaper states.
The countries share a long border, the FT notes. Therefore, both countries consider maintaining friendly relations “critical to preventing double deterrence by the US and its allies”.
The publication quotes a Chinese diplomat who expressed the essence of Washington’s approach towards Moscow and Beijing: “Please help us defeat your closest ally so that we can attack you next time.”
That said, the FT laments almost earnestly that “creating a second rift between Moscow and Beijing” is impossible in the foreseeable future.
Indeed, the US will not be able to repeat Kissinger’s old trick even through huge geopolitical concessions – giving Ukraine to Moscow or Taiwan to Beijing. All the more so because Washington has “very little desire to take such steps, at least for now,” the publication states.
That’s the problem with Washington. It not only does not want to, but cannot concede anything and to anyone. The design of its global hegemony is such that any serious concession can lead to the collapse of the whole house of cards. This is not even pathological greed that cannot be cured, it is a matter of survival of Pax Americana: the US would rather go to a big war than voluntarily accept defeat at the hands of Russia or China.
Elena Panina