Unraveling the Complex China Russia Relationship: A Dovish Perspective - Maximilian Hess

- US launched trade war with China in 2017 under Trump presidency, now a bipartisan issue in the West
- West often conflates China with Russia, but their relationship has limits
- China's reactions to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and annexation of Crimea were supportive, but recent meeting between Putin and Xi showed no significant support for Russia
- China has a strategy to replace the US as the premier geoeconomic power
- China may see Russia's actions as a threat to its agenda rather than an opportunity to advance it
- Chinese-Russian trade increased last year, but mostly due to China buying discounted commodities from Russia
- West may be pushing China towards Russia's camp, but should be doing the opposite
- Suggests West should offer incentives to China in exchange for not supporting Russia, rather than relying on sanctions
- European leaders should reconsider their approach to Beijing due to the level of threat from Russia

Maximilian Hess is a Central Asia Fellow in the Eurasia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Max is the former head of political risk at Hawthorn Advisors and former head of research and intelligence at AKE International. He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and SOAS, University of London. His research focuses on the relationship between trade, debt, international relations and foreign policy, as well the overlap between political and economic networks.

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