My Take | A ‘no limits’ partnership that will be an unstoppable global force
US-China ties have dominated the 21st century so far, but pact between Moscow and Beijing may be the most consequential from now on
It’s been called “the axis of upheaval” or “the axis of autocracy”. That’s the entente between China, Russia, North Korea and Iran that was supposed to have been formed against the West.
Let’s leave aside the fact that Washington and Brussels drove them together, and that China and Russia would have much preferred doing business with the Western powers. Iran and North Korea may be more liabilities than assets as far as Beijing is concerned.
The real consequential partnership is that between China and Russia. It has long been said that US-China relations would define the 21st century. That might have been true up until now. But Russian-Chinese ties may end up being the dominant global partnership for the rest of the century.
Even the Americans understand, and fear that. Shortly before his November presidential election victory, Donald Trump said separating the two Eurasian powers would be a priority of his administration. “I’m going to have to un-unite them, and I think I can do that, too,” he said.
More recently, as he has turned increasingly hostile towards Ukraine and the European Union and started to negotiate with Moscow directly on favourable terms, he returned the same theme.
“As a student of history, which I am – and I’ve watched it all – the first thing you learn is you don’t want Russia and China to get together.”
He was right about the Chinese-Russian “no limits” partnership, but that ship – about driving a wedge between the two powers – has long sailed, just like America’s ability to “contain” the rise of China as a global power.