How Does China see Russia? A Glimpse into the PRC Official Position and the Surrounding Academic Outlooks
Volume 3, Issue 1 (2022), pp. 45–57
Pub. online: 5 February 2024
Type: Essay
Open Access
Open Access
Published
5 February 2024
5 February 2024
Abstract
This essay aims to assess the perception of Russia in the foreign policy establishment thinking of the
People’s Republic of China, specifically looking at the most recent developments following the Russian
invasion into Ukraine, by examining speeches, statements, and meeting readouts of the PRC’s top foreign policy
actors, complemented with an assessment of Chinese academia. The first section of the essay gauges the role
of Russia in China’s foreign policy outlook. The second section provides an analysis of selected PRC academic
publications after the beginning of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The essay concludes that the PRC’s policy
vis-a-vis Russia is not that of an allied power, but of an interest-based pragmatic neighbour.
Consequentially, while the Chinese foreign policy establishment promises deep and integrated cooperation, the
PRC foreign affairs academic debate contains a strong motif of a limited support doctrine in relation to
Russia.
References
Notes
1. In an interview with a Chinese diplomat in September 2022, the diplomat stated that “Russia is doing well in
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economic perspective, however, it is not a developed country.” This view is supported by a 2004 publication by
Peng Gang and Guan Xueling, which states that “today, with economic globalization deepening with each passing
day, the so-called developed and underdeveloped economies practically refer to the developed and underdeveloped
market economies. Russia is obviously an underdeveloped market economy.” This perspective is also reflected in
the online Chinese encyclopedia Baidu Baike, which lists Russia among the major developing countries: “发展中国家”,
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Readout in Mandarin Chinese published at: Yichao,
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