Jonny Tickle – October 23, 2020
An alliance between two of the planet’s three most powerful militaries would profoundly alter the world order. Vladimir Putin believes that it is possible in the future that Russia and China could unite, but not yet necessary.
Speaking on Thursday at a virtual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin stressed that Russia “does not need” an alliance with China, “but, theoretically, it’s quite possible to imagine.” The superpowers are increasingly close, and conduct joint exercises together.
Valdai is a Russian think tank and forum established in 2004. It hosts an annual meeting attended by Putin. The event is usually held in Sochi, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic was condensed this year.
“Russian-Chinese relations have reached an unprecedented high level,” the president said. “We treat each other with great confidence, have strong, stable, and, most importantly, effective working relations in all areas.”
Moscow and Beijing currently cooperate closely in many fields, including militarily. In September, China took part in Russia’s large-scale joint exercise, Kavkaz-2020, along with other Kremlin allies. According to Putin, the two countries “exchange best practices in the field of military construction,” and have high-level cooperation in the technological sphere. As well as benefiting the Russian Armed Forces, the partnership also increases China’s defense capability, he explained.
“It’s not only about the exchange of products, sales of military goods and the exchange of technologies,” the president explained. “There are some very sensitive things here.”