Losers and strengthened. The military union of Russia and China is becoming a reality
Cooperation between Russia and China in the military sphere is becoming increasingly close, and both countries are pushing the United States to strengthen and deepen it. Already, Moscow and Beijing are thinking about creating a joint missile attack warning system (SPRN), military exercises are being conducted between the armies of the two states.
In recent years, Russia and China have reached a new level of cooperation in the field of defense and security. Relations between the two states are becoming increasingly close - both in the economic field and in the military sphere. When President Xi Jinping came to Russia in the summer of 2019, two landmark documents were signed - the “Joint statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on strengthening global strategic stability in the modern era” and the “Joint statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the development of comprehensive relations partnerships and strategic engagement entering a new era. ” Their signing is evidence that the positions of the two states on a number of key issues, and, most importantly, on the strategic prospects for the development of the modern world, coincide.
Russia has become an ally of China for a reason. Economic ties between countries, which began to develop at a rapid pace in the 1990-s, are growing stronger from year to year. China benefits from supplying not only natural resources, but also technology and equipment from Russia. In the same way, China also plays a crucial role in the supply to Russia of consumer goods, food, and so on. The economy was followed by politics and the military sphere, especially since now both China and Russia have a common probable adversary. The USA also considers Russia and China as its main competitors in the military-political sphere.
In this situation, the desire of Beijing and Moscow to develop bilateral relations is quite natural and understandable. The more the United States imposes sanctions and trade duties, the more often it declares that there is a Chinese or Russian threat, the more dense stones they put on the foundation of the Russian-Chinese union. Now Russia and China are forced to think about how to react to Washington’s harsh and aggressive policy in the event of US arms buildup.
Military cooperation between Russia and China gradually reached a new level by the second half of the 2010's. So, in 2017, Russian and Chinese military sailors conducted joint maneuvers in the Baltic Sea, the following year, China was involved in the strategic exercises "East".
In July of the 2019 of the year, the Chinese Air Force and the Russian Air Force took part in the joint air patrol over the waters of the East China and Japan Seas for the first time after the 1950-ies. These actions of the two countries led to an extremely negative reaction from Japan and South Korea, who saw such actions as a serious threat to their national security. It is clear that Washington stands behind Seoul and Tokyo, which is very concerned not only about the buildup of its military potential by Russia and China, but also about the developing military-technical cooperation between the two states.
In 2019, the large Russian military exercises Center-2019 also took place with the participation of the Chinese army. The PLA was represented by 3,5 troops, 30 aircraft, 900 units of heavy equipment and weapons. Bomber Aircraft aviation The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the PLA practiced bombing, dropping more than 150 bombs on the accumulation of conventional enemy equipment.
If we talk about military-technical cooperation, then China remains among the most important buyers of Russian weapons and military equipment. Over the past six years alone, China's share in purchases of Russian military equipment has increased from 5% to 15%. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that the Celestial Empire will continue to increase purchases of Russian military equipment. In particular, China was the first among foreign countries to purchase the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems and Su-35 fighters.
Now it’s the turn of technology - Russia will help China create its own missile attack warning system, as stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Only one contract for Russia's participation in the development of the system is estimated at no less than 60 billion dollars. This is the development of software for a missile attack warning system, which will be created by Russian specialists at enterprises included in the structure of the Almaz-Antey Aerospace Defense Concern.
The development of a missile attack warning system (SPRN) is of paramount importance for the Celestial Empire. Currently, only the United States and Russia possess such systems, so China, as a third world power, seeks to create a similar system and get security from the risks of missile attacks from a likely enemy.
Of course, Beijing also tried to create its own WSS.
Back in the 1980 years, China made the first attempts to create a system, but then they were not very successful, although some steps were nevertheless taken. Now the Chinese leadership has turned to Russia for help, which has its own missile attack warning system and, accordingly, can help China develop the system. From Russia, China needs, first of all, technologies that Chinese specialists are not yet able to develop.
It is clear that following the development of software, Russia will also fulfill other orders of China in the field of the creation of SPRN. But the creation of a common missile warning system is still out of the question. After all, a common system is not only uniform technologies, but also a common command, a common structure, and so far they are not ready to go not only in Beijing, but also in Moscow.
Nevertheless, if the situation in the world does not change for the better, then China and Russia may well go for the creation of a joint missile warning system. In this case, the SPRN of the two states will become the most powerful in the world, covering most of the territory of Eurasia. Russia will be able to move the southern borders of the SPRN by thousands of kilometers - to southern China.
In turn, China will also be able to take advantage of Russia with its access to the Arctic. After all, the Arctic direction remains one of the most likely areas of attack by China by the United States. And Russia, which controls the Arctic, can minimize these risks in the event that the SPRN of the two states function as a single system. This point of view is shared by military analysts and political scientists in China itself. Moreover, the United States through its actions makes Beijing clear - a new and very active arms race is beginning.
At the same time, the military-political union of Russia and China has not yet been created. The purchase of weapons, military equipment and technology, and even joint military exercises is good, but it is not yet an alliance. Russia and China have no mutual obligations. But in the West they are afraid that sooner or later Beijing and Moscow will come to the realization of the need to conclude such an alliance and then a real threat will be created to American military-political dominance in the modern world.
There are certain reasons for the military alliance between Russia and China. Of course, China has a different ideological system, but on a global scale, both Russia and China demonstrate similar positions in most issues and uphold a roughly similar line. This already makes them allies on the world stage, albeit without formalizing such an alliance. If we talk about the military aspects of the union, then both Russia and China are focused on defense.
Moscow and Beijing are not going to threaten anyone. China generally differs for a great power in a very peaceful foreign policy. Unlike the United States and even Russia, China was not seen in major military conflicts of our time. But a peaceful foreign policy is not for China a 100% guarantee of protection against the risks of armed conflict, especially against the backdrop of growing US aggression, the spread of religious extremism and terrorism in Central Asia, and difficult relations with its southern neighbors - from India to Vietnam.
In such a situation, a military-political alliance with Russia would not hinder China, even if it was an all-out defense. It is possible that such an alliance will be concluded sooner or later, since it is beneficial to both states. Moreover, the speed of conclusion of such an alliance will depend on the behavior of the United States.
The more aggressive policies Washington will pursue, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, the sooner Beijing and Moscow will come to a consensus and decide to enter into a military alliance. So it can be said that the United States itself is pushing Russia and China towards a military alliance, or rather, the rash policy of the American leadership.
Who and what threatens the military alliance of Russia and China? First of all, the position of the United States, which now have a clear military superiority over China in armaments, will be seriously shaken. For example, a joint missile warning system will allow Moscow and Beijing to control most of Eurasia. Sino-Russian military cooperation will significantly limit US plans in East and Southeast Asia.
Other losers include Japan and South Korea, which are the closest US military and political allies in East Asia. Japan, aspiring to the South Kuril Islands and still not seeking to conclude a peace treaty with Russia, also does not like the prospect of an alliance between Beijing and Moscow. It is no coincidence that as soon as Russian and Chinese aircraft conducted joint air patrols, Tokyo erupted in angry tirade. Do not forget that China and Japan have long-standing historical enmity, the Chinese still keep the memory of the genocide that the Japanese invaders staged on Chinese soil in the 1930s - 1940s.
The military alliance between Russia and China will significantly reformat the alignment of forces in Asia. It is possible that other countries will also reach out to Moscow and Beijing, which for one reason or another depend on Russia and the PRC. For example, China and Pakistan have always had very close military cooperation, but Pakistan is a US military ally. Recently, however, relations between Washington and Islamabad have cracked, after which the Pakistani authorities have become demonstratively showing more and more interest in Moscow and Beijing, up to and including participating in joint military exercises.
As for Europe, the union of Russia and China may even be beneficial to it, since it will allow for conducting a more independent foreign policy from the Washington Regional Committee. If now European countries depend on the United States in making decisions, the new alignment of forces may convince Europe that American positions are weakening and we can think about choosing new allies and patrons.
However, while talking about the conclusion of a military alliance between Russia and China is premature. The authorities of the two states chose a waiting position, observing the international situation. Moreover, Beijing and Moscow, with all the seeming prosperity in cooperation, also have very painful points in relations, one of which is the future of Siberia and the Far East in the context of the ongoing Chinese economic and demographic expansion.
Growing partnership
In recent years, Russia and China have reached a new level of cooperation in the field of defense and security. Relations between the two states are becoming increasingly close - both in the economic field and in the military sphere. When President Xi Jinping came to Russia in the summer of 2019, two landmark documents were signed - the “Joint statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on strengthening global strategic stability in the modern era” and the “Joint statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the development of comprehensive relations partnerships and strategic engagement entering a new era. ” Their signing is evidence that the positions of the two states on a number of key issues, and, most importantly, on the strategic prospects for the development of the modern world, coincide.
Russia has become an ally of China for a reason. Economic ties between countries, which began to develop at a rapid pace in the 1990-s, are growing stronger from year to year. China benefits from supplying not only natural resources, but also technology and equipment from Russia. In the same way, China also plays a crucial role in the supply to Russia of consumer goods, food, and so on. The economy was followed by politics and the military sphere, especially since now both China and Russia have a common probable adversary. The USA also considers Russia and China as its main competitors in the military-political sphere.
In this situation, the desire of Beijing and Moscow to develop bilateral relations is quite natural and understandable. The more the United States imposes sanctions and trade duties, the more often it declares that there is a Chinese or Russian threat, the more dense stones they put on the foundation of the Russian-Chinese union. Now Russia and China are forced to think about how to react to Washington’s harsh and aggressive policy in the event of US arms buildup.
How Moscow and Beijing cooperate in the military sphere
Military cooperation between Russia and China gradually reached a new level by the second half of the 2010's. So, in 2017, Russian and Chinese military sailors conducted joint maneuvers in the Baltic Sea, the following year, China was involved in the strategic exercises "East".
In July of the 2019 of the year, the Chinese Air Force and the Russian Air Force took part in the joint air patrol over the waters of the East China and Japan Seas for the first time after the 1950-ies. These actions of the two countries led to an extremely negative reaction from Japan and South Korea, who saw such actions as a serious threat to their national security. It is clear that Washington stands behind Seoul and Tokyo, which is very concerned not only about the buildup of its military potential by Russia and China, but also about the developing military-technical cooperation between the two states.
In 2019, the large Russian military exercises Center-2019 also took place with the participation of the Chinese army. The PLA was represented by 3,5 troops, 30 aircraft, 900 units of heavy equipment and weapons. Bomber Aircraft aviation The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the PLA practiced bombing, dropping more than 150 bombs on the accumulation of conventional enemy equipment.
If we talk about military-technical cooperation, then China remains among the most important buyers of Russian weapons and military equipment. Over the past six years alone, China's share in purchases of Russian military equipment has increased from 5% to 15%. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that the Celestial Empire will continue to increase purchases of Russian military equipment. In particular, China was the first among foreign countries to purchase the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems and Su-35 fighters.
Now it’s the turn of technology - Russia will help China create its own missile attack warning system, as stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Only one contract for Russia's participation in the development of the system is estimated at no less than 60 billion dollars. This is the development of software for a missile attack warning system, which will be created by Russian specialists at enterprises included in the structure of the Almaz-Antey Aerospace Defense Concern.
How did China plan to defend itself against a missile attack?
The development of a missile attack warning system (SPRN) is of paramount importance for the Celestial Empire. Currently, only the United States and Russia possess such systems, so China, as a third world power, seeks to create a similar system and get security from the risks of missile attacks from a likely enemy.
Of course, Beijing also tried to create its own WSS.
Back in the 1980 years, China made the first attempts to create a system, but then they were not very successful, although some steps were nevertheless taken. Now the Chinese leadership has turned to Russia for help, which has its own missile attack warning system and, accordingly, can help China develop the system. From Russia, China needs, first of all, technologies that Chinese specialists are not yet able to develop.
It is clear that following the development of software, Russia will also fulfill other orders of China in the field of the creation of SPRN. But the creation of a common missile warning system is still out of the question. After all, a common system is not only uniform technologies, but also a common command, a common structure, and so far they are not ready to go not only in Beijing, but also in Moscow.
Nevertheless, if the situation in the world does not change for the better, then China and Russia may well go for the creation of a joint missile warning system. In this case, the SPRN of the two states will become the most powerful in the world, covering most of the territory of Eurasia. Russia will be able to move the southern borders of the SPRN by thousands of kilometers - to southern China.
In turn, China will also be able to take advantage of Russia with its access to the Arctic. After all, the Arctic direction remains one of the most likely areas of attack by China by the United States. And Russia, which controls the Arctic, can minimize these risks in the event that the SPRN of the two states function as a single system. This point of view is shared by military analysts and political scientists in China itself. Moreover, the United States through its actions makes Beijing clear - a new and very active arms race is beginning.
Will partnership turn into an alliance?
At the same time, the military-political union of Russia and China has not yet been created. The purchase of weapons, military equipment and technology, and even joint military exercises is good, but it is not yet an alliance. Russia and China have no mutual obligations. But in the West they are afraid that sooner or later Beijing and Moscow will come to the realization of the need to conclude such an alliance and then a real threat will be created to American military-political dominance in the modern world.
There are certain reasons for the military alliance between Russia and China. Of course, China has a different ideological system, but on a global scale, both Russia and China demonstrate similar positions in most issues and uphold a roughly similar line. This already makes them allies on the world stage, albeit without formalizing such an alliance. If we talk about the military aspects of the union, then both Russia and China are focused on defense.
Moscow and Beijing are not going to threaten anyone. China generally differs for a great power in a very peaceful foreign policy. Unlike the United States and even Russia, China was not seen in major military conflicts of our time. But a peaceful foreign policy is not for China a 100% guarantee of protection against the risks of armed conflict, especially against the backdrop of growing US aggression, the spread of religious extremism and terrorism in Central Asia, and difficult relations with its southern neighbors - from India to Vietnam.
In such a situation, a military-political alliance with Russia would not hinder China, even if it was an all-out defense. It is possible that such an alliance will be concluded sooner or later, since it is beneficial to both states. Moreover, the speed of conclusion of such an alliance will depend on the behavior of the United States.
The more aggressive policies Washington will pursue, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, the sooner Beijing and Moscow will come to a consensus and decide to enter into a military alliance. So it can be said that the United States itself is pushing Russia and China towards a military alliance, or rather, the rash policy of the American leadership.
Who and what threatens the military alliance of Russia and China? First of all, the position of the United States, which now have a clear military superiority over China in armaments, will be seriously shaken. For example, a joint missile warning system will allow Moscow and Beijing to control most of Eurasia. Sino-Russian military cooperation will significantly limit US plans in East and Southeast Asia.
Other losers include Japan and South Korea, which are the closest US military and political allies in East Asia. Japan, aspiring to the South Kuril Islands and still not seeking to conclude a peace treaty with Russia, also does not like the prospect of an alliance between Beijing and Moscow. It is no coincidence that as soon as Russian and Chinese aircraft conducted joint air patrols, Tokyo erupted in angry tirade. Do not forget that China and Japan have long-standing historical enmity, the Chinese still keep the memory of the genocide that the Japanese invaders staged on Chinese soil in the 1930s - 1940s.
The military alliance between Russia and China will significantly reformat the alignment of forces in Asia. It is possible that other countries will also reach out to Moscow and Beijing, which for one reason or another depend on Russia and the PRC. For example, China and Pakistan have always had very close military cooperation, but Pakistan is a US military ally. Recently, however, relations between Washington and Islamabad have cracked, after which the Pakistani authorities have become demonstratively showing more and more interest in Moscow and Beijing, up to and including participating in joint military exercises.
As for Europe, the union of Russia and China may even be beneficial to it, since it will allow for conducting a more independent foreign policy from the Washington Regional Committee. If now European countries depend on the United States in making decisions, the new alignment of forces may convince Europe that American positions are weakening and we can think about choosing new allies and patrons.
However, while talking about the conclusion of a military alliance between Russia and China is premature. The authorities of the two states chose a waiting position, observing the international situation. Moreover, Beijing and Moscow, with all the seeming prosperity in cooperation, also have very painful points in relations, one of which is the future of Siberia and the Far East in the context of the ongoing Chinese economic and demographic expansion.
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