It has been widely noted that the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying global economic shock is likely to lead to significantly deeper ties between China and Russia. This is an acceleration of a trend that has been underway since 2008 and does not look to deviate anytime soon. There are still significant stumbling blocks to a highly integrated NATO-like alliance between China and Russia, including a history of mutual animosity and historical territorial disputes. A closely coordinated partnership, however, is unnecessary to serve both nation’s interests when a looser entente will more than suffice.
Huh, the rest of the world is extremely upset with the Chinese Communist Party unleashing the Xi Jinping Flu pandemic on them, but Putin gets to endure the death and disruption, grunting out "Thank you sir, may I have another."
A solid foundation, indeed, for an entente.
The whole point of Russia's apparent appeasement policy is to buy time for Russia's military in the Far East to be strengthened--not to strengthen China:
Can't Russia see that the West is no threat while China is the threat? Why not work with us?
Well, from the Russian point of view, Russia is acting very logical.
Russian power collapsed in 1991, leaving their Far East vulnerable to China whose power soon began to rise even as Russia's power continued to erode.
Was it logical for Russia to openly treat China as a threat and cozy up to the West that was disarming and never going to help Russia defend the Amur River line?
Not really, when you think about it. Yes, in the end, Russia will have to recognize that China is a threat and not NATO. But we're far from whenever "the end" is and until then Russia can't afford to anger China.
So Russia sells weapons designed to point China's modernizing military out to see against America, Taiwan, and Japan rather than against Russia.
This isn't just clever politics. This is a form of appeasement.
If it is true that Russia will get closer to China, Putin is effing up royally. Unless Putin has decided to accept being the junior partner in this 21st century axis, this makes no sense.
Although to be fair to the authors at that first link, we certainly should be trying to split Russia from China.
Although to throw a little cold water on the "Nixon goes to China" longing, to split Russia from China under that template, America and Russia have to have a common enemy to focus on. When will Russia say that out loud?
Clearly, Russia should see America as an ally to restrain China, but Russia has to be strong enough to get the benefits of alliance with America rather than provoking China to attack a still-weak Russia.
The ball is in Putin's court. He can have a partner with the West or he can assume the position as Xi humiliates Russia by denying Putin the right to even raise a whimper of complaint no matter what China does.
