Partners,But Not Allies:China-russia Relations Revisited

The collapse of the bipolar system of international relations led to a multipolar world system,causing the emergence of new great powers which are able to compete with the US and Russia.Such powers can be attributed to China.The impact of China on the world stage is huge.Growing economies in the country,the army,part of the top three in the world,nuclear weapons,and scientific and technological advances make China a strong actor,able to resist any threat and challenge any power.Therefore,many countries are looking for friendship with China,trying at least to conclude trade agreements.Among such countries-Russia has proclaimed a "turn to the East".For Russia,China is a valuable partner who can compensate for Russia' s financial losses from the sanctions of the West,and can also strengthen the position of Russia in Asia.This paper investigates the "partnership" not "allies" phenomenon of Chinese Russian bilateral relations.I investigate why it is more profitable for Russia and China to be partners but not allies by arguing against many American and European scholars' opinion that Russia and China have become allies against USA and Europe.To see the difference between "partners" and "allies" I conduct research on each nation' s voting records on key sessions in United Nations Security Council,which are very sensitive for Russian and China.Thus the information utilized in this research is mainly the decisions taken from key sessions of the United Nation Security Council,as well as bilateral political,economic cooperation.I also examine the bilateral relations of Russia and China over the last 10 years,including the economic,political,and cultural relations dimensions between these countries.