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Elliott School of International Affairs, Voesar Conference Room, 4th Floor View map Free Event

1957 E St NW | Washington, DC 20052

View map Free Event

Amid Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and China’s assertive resurgence, the growing alignment between Moscow and Beijing has become one of the most destabilizing international developments since the Cold War. While the Sino-Russian partnership has not yet turned into a fully-fledged alliance, their military cooperation has been steadily increasing, aimed at challenging the United States in the critical Asian theater. But why have Russia and China edged towards alignment, despite their longstanding history of geopolitical rivalry and mutual distrust? And what are the limits to their cooperation? Dr. Aleksandar Matovski’s research suggests that that Moscow and Beijing converged not because of external threats or regime insecurity, but when these two dangers combined. Matovski traces the development of the Sino-Russian entente, finding that the weakening Putin regime sought Chinese support to offset the high geopolitical cost of conflicts that it launched to preserve itself. In turn, fearing that a collapse of Putinism could spill over in China, Beijing maintained a lifeline for Russia’s dictatorship despite considerable costs and risks. These findings highlight the need for more nuanced strategies to manage the Sino-Russian alignment by addressing the complex interplay of domestic and international factors that drive the behavior of the Putin and CCP regimes.

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