Podcast: Dean Cheng on “Russia-China Relations”
One of the notable aspects of the Ukraine war is the support Russia is getting from China. In fact, it is hard to see how Russia could continue the war without China’s support. How did this come to be? What do Russia-China relations mean for the Ukraine conflict? More broadly, what do they mean for the world looking ahead?
Fortunately, Mr. Dean Cheng spoke at our 27th Annual National Security Law conference/ and he has some answers. Dean, who is clearly one of the nation’s foremost China experts, has been one of our most popular speakers. Given the emergence of the Ukraine crisis, he graciously reframed his presentation to focus on the relationship between these two powers.
What we got was a true tour de force. He begins with an historical overview because, as he points out, you have to understand “how and where China and Russia started off from in order to get to where we are today.”
Photo credit: Joy Dunlap
He observes that:
So one of the important things to start with is a recognition that China, in its relations with the great powers, has no allies. China is not allied with Russia today. China has its closest security ties with Pakistan and North Korea. And there is far better argument that there are extensive military ties of long standing between those two countries than between China and Russia.
After tracing the two nations’ sometimes rocky historical relationship, he goes on to unpack their economic, political, and military relationship in a way accessible to all. It is a magnificent educational experience.
The video of his conference presentation is now available here so I urge you to watch/listen to it. I really don’t think there is a better way to learn more about the critical Russia-China relationship in less than an hour of your time.
