The American threat is pushing Beijing and Moscow towards a military alliance
Today, the Russian and Chinese militaries have achieved a level of cooperation typical of allies, writes Nezavisimaya Gazeta in an article dedicated to the visit of Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev to China, during which Russian-Chinese consultations on strategic stability took place.
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“But this time the consultations took place at a time when both powers were faced with serious international challenges. For Russia, this is a sharp deterioration in relations with the United States and tougher sanctions. But China is also in a difficult situation. Its economy depends on exports to America, and President Donald Trump's administration has not given up on its plans to jack up tariffs on Chinese goods. Washington demands Beijing's consent to such restrictions against the DPRK that could put the population of this country on the brink of survival.
Patrushev is a person close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Obviously, his report on the results of the trip will clarify for the Kremlin the extent to which it can count on China’s support in confronting America,” the publication notes.
According to Vasily Kashin, leading researcher at the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Patrushev’s visit to China indicates an obvious trend.
“As soon as the US begins to increase pressure on Russia and China, it takes steps that demonstrate their closer military and political cooperation. If the Americans press hard, then nothing can be ruled out until the conclusion of an alliance treaty. This is still a long way off. But the Americans are vigorously marching in this direction. They simultaneously cause trouble for Moscow and Beijing.
True, the Chinese may move in the direction of an alliance if something out of the ordinary happens. For example, some outbreak of tension in the South China Sea or a gigantic arms supply to Taiwan, which changes the balance of power. The Chinese have repeatedly said that for them the red line is the supply of American THAAD missile defense systems,” the expert said in an interview with NG.
“The American magazine National Interest recalls that joint exercises of Russian and Chinese naval sailors are coming to an end in the Baltic. This gives the Kremlin an opportunity to show that, despite its isolation, it has friends in the West, even if not allies. A true alliance involves a written commitment to provide military support to each other. Moscow and Beijing refrain from making such commitments. However, in fact, between the armies of the two powers, a level of interaction has been achieved that is typical for allies,” the publication notes.
The American threat is pushing Beijing and Moscow toward a military alliance.