Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov (left) meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing
Capital and technology could tip the Sino-Russian energy balance
Beijing is not just a key customer for Moscow’s energy in an unwelcoming world. It can bring other necessities to the table, but at a price
The China-Russia relationship has a long and complex history, catalysed by the lengthy border between the two countries, the complementarity of their economies and the ambitions of both to be seen as key global geopolitical actors. Following periods of friendship and tensions in the Soviet era—when the two communist states often struggled to find a mutual understanding—the post-Soviet era has seen an even more complicated relationship develop. Since the 1990s, Russia’s economy has suffered cycles of collapse and recovery, largely driven by oil prices. China, meanwhile, has become the second-largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP—while Russia is ranked 11th with a GDP ten times
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