How closely aligned are China and Russia? Why won’t China condemn Putin’s Ukraine war? How to define and measure strategic alignments between states? This talk, based on the recently published book China-Russia Strategic Alignment in International Politics (Amsterdam University Press, 2022), bridges area studies and International Relations theory to answer these questions. Post-Cold War China-Russia strategic cooperation has developed significantly and become an increasingly important factor in international politics. However, there has been no theory-grounded framework and corresponding measurements that would allow an accurate and systematic assessment of the level of China-Russia alignment and its progress over time. In this address, Dr Alexander Korolev will discuss a set of objective criteria to measure and explain the development of strategic alignment in post-Cold War China-Russia relations. His research establishes that on a range of criteria, China-Russia alignment has been moving towards a full-fledged alliance, showing a consistent incremental upward trend. There are strong structural incentives for furthering the China-Russia alignment and the war in Ukraine is unlikely to change that trend. The alignment framework developed in this research can be applied to other cases of interstate strategic cooperation to facilitate cross-country comparisons.
This talk is part of a series moderated by Visiting Professor of International and Public Affairs Lyle Goldstein, "China-Russia Relations and the Future of World Order."