The deepening partnership between Russia and China is reshaping global politics and international security. Their joint efforts to challenge Western influence and the liberal world order have far-reaching consequences for the United States, Europe, and other regions. However, their relationship is not without challenges and contradictions.

To what extent does the partnership between Russia and China extend, and what are its limitations? How is this relationship evolving? What factors drive their cooperation, what obstacles does it face, and what are the potential developments in their political, diplomatic, economic, military, security, and societal ties? How does this dynamic impact Western and European interests and security, particularly in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine and broader global regions?

SCEEUS analyses, monitors, and explains the evolving Russia-China relationship and its policy implications for Europe and the wider west, working closely with the National China Centre at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. Understanding the strategic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is essential for shaping Western policies and strategies to effectively counter, influence, and manage the long-term autocratic challenge that Russia and China pose to global democracy and the rules based world order.

Recent publications have examined potential future scenarios of Russian-Chinese relations, their cooperation in the Arctic, as well as the development of their political, economic and energy relations. Other recent and ongoing work also focuses on the political significance of their high-level meetings and visits, as well as the relationship’s dynamics with other countries and regions, including  BRICS, the Korean Peninsula, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.

Experts

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