... manganese, limestone, phosphates, marble, salt, gypsum and oil—but will the trio manage to extract them on their own (though jointly) in commercial quantities to gain economic sovereignty, not just political one? Or all hopes are again pinned on Russia, China, Turkey, Iran and other non-Western nations? And if so, is “sovereignty” the right word here? Of course, “dependence” on Russia, for example, would differ from neocolonialism by ensuring “fairness” and “equality between partners,” ...
... further escalation. The U.S. has no interest in a major regional war in the Middle East with an uncertain outcome, especially in the run-up to the presidential election in November. Thus, Washington is focused on maintaining the regional status quo. China has even less reason to welcome such a conflict, in the first place because it would immediately drive global hydrocarbon prices up and create many transportation and logistics issues for Beijing.
Moscow could possibly count on some short-term gains ...
... optimal balance of allies and rivals will be able to conserve resources, and if confrontation is inevitable, will be able to withstand it, emerge victorious, and make use of the results of victory.
Ivan Timofeev:
Trump or Harris: Does it Matter for China?
The current state of international relations demonstrates a steady tendency towards the multiplication of deterrence tasks among the three key global centres of military power—the United States, China and Russia. Each of them has an increasing ...
... (although the author of these lines has privately expressed this view for many years).
The North initially hoped to complete the unsuccessful “campaign to liberate the South” that started in 1950 (and nearly ended in complete disaster, were it not for China’s intervention). Yet by the 1970s, amid détente between the United States and North Korea’s “patrons”—the Soviet Union and China—Pyongyang came to understand that its hopes of defeating a stronger South Korea, heavily backed by the ...
... the 21st century, the whole idea of junior and senior partners looks outdated and even archaic. True international partnerships are based on mutual respect, empathy and a carefully calibrated balance of interests
When the current dynamics of Russia-China relations is discussed, the conversation often boils down to the concept of a "senior-junior partnership." A popular view—especially in the West—is that with more cooperation between the two nations, Russia is gradually, but inevitably,...
... significant military capacities of their own. The two Nordic nations can also boast of fat defense budgets that they are willing to contribute to NATO’s activities in the European North.
Anatasia Tolstukhina:
US Technology Policy amid Rivalry with China
Furthermore, the US defense contractors have received a golden shower that they had not seen in many decades. US European allies are currently dumping their old military hardware in Ukraine and are standing in line for the newest US made systems....
... recently met again in Astana. The Russian-Chinese mutual commitment not to be the first to use nuclear weapons against each other also plays a significant role.
Zhao Huasheng, Andrey Kortunov:
Prepare for the Worst and Strive for the Best. Russia’s and China’s Perceptions of Developments in International Security
There is also a Russian-Chinese agreement on notifications of launches of ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles. It is possible to use such mechanisms in the future to reduce regional and global tensions involving new states....
... signal to Washington that Saudi Arabia is tired of being marginalized and denied representation, as well as of American exceptionalism, a sentiment shared by other countries in the region.
“The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back”
Yuliya Alekseeva:
China in the Mashriq: New Best Friend
While countries of the Middle East resent American betrayal, they at least understand it as realpolitik, as the U.S. prioritizing its own national interests and as the America First policy in practice. What they ...
... Korean nationalist An Jung-geun assassinated Ito Hirobumi, the first Prime Minister of Japan, has got a new magnificent Nouveau style terminal modelled after the original 1899 Russian station. Harbin has every reason to position itself as the leading China’s national hub for economic, cultural, educational and human interaction with its northern neighbor.
Remembering WW2 in Asia
One of the items of Vladimir Putin agenda in Harbin was to lay flowers at the memorial to some twelve thousand of Soviet ...
Beijing is rather reluctant to get deeply involved in intra-regional politics in the Middle East, as this could provoke new tensions with the U.S.
The current escalation in the Middle East has been described by many as a test of influence for China. For example, the media repeatedly suggested that the United States asked China to put pressure on Iran during the latest rounds of escalation, especially after the Israeli strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Yet, if compared to Qatari,...
