Abstract
The Sino-Russian partnership presents a paradox for analysts and policymakers in that contemporary Sino-Russian relations can be characterized on the one hand by global normative alignment and on the other by regional ontological insecurity. This chapter begins by examining the Chinese and Russian narratives that lead to global alignment. Next, their competing regional narratives, identities, and regional integration strategies are examined. These stem from differing historical experiences, understandings of borders and border states, and views of their own regional role. The chapter argues that these competing self-concepts and strategies lead to an ontological security dilemma on the regional level. This dilemma contributes to a lack of regional integration, which the pandemic experience has highlighted, with relatively few cases of Covid-19 transmission occurring across the Sino-Russian border. The chapter concludes with policy implications for the U.S. and other concerned states and argues that the insecurity on the regional level is unlikely to translate into opportunities to weaken the Sino-Russian global alignment.
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Notes
- 1.
They further claim that China’s position on the Ice Silk Road makes Russia less likely to support Chinese positions in the South China Sea.
- 2.
The 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk established a frontier zone, based on geographical features, rather than a boundary, while the 1860 Treaty of Peking sets a border. See Neville Maxwell, “How the Sino-Russian Boundary Conflict Was Finally Settled from Nerchinsk 1689 to Vladivostok 2005 via Zhenbao Island 1969,” Critical Asian Studies 39:2, 2007, 231.
- 3.
This project also includes North Korea, which borders on the Tumen, and Mongolia which seeks outlets to the sea.
- 4.
By comparison, 49% of respondents had a favorable view of the EU and 42% had a favorable view of the U.S.
- 5.
After the Sino-Soviet split, the Soviet government became preoccupied by what they saw as the inaccurate portrayal of border history in China and enlisted Soviet historians to refute Chinese positions on Russian seizure of Chinese land. A series of decrees required that cities in the Russian Far East restore their original Russian names.
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Wishnick, E. (2022). The Paradox of Sino-Russian Partnership: Global Normative Alignment and Regional Ontological Insecurity. In: Yoder, B.K. (eds) The United States and Contemporary China-Russia Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93982-3_7
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