Portfolios of Power: Chinese and Russian Strategic Leverage in Europe

Abstract

Recent occurrences in global politics have sparked fresh interest in the reactions of major powers when strategically significant nations shift their geopolitical alignments and align more closely with adversaries. A notable instance is the endeavors of the United States during the second Trump administration to facilitate peace between Russia and Ukraine and restore relations with Moscow, potentially motivated by the belief that an aggressive stance had aligned Russia more closely with China. A transition in the US from antagonism to cooperation with Russia may not necessarily drive it away from China, but it could reduce the extent of the partnership between Beijing and Moscow. Even a slight modification might yield significant strategic advantages, considering Russia's geopolitical importance. China encounters a comparable dilemma. In recent times, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia—crucial to China's strategic, economic, technological, and geopolitical ambitions—have adopted a firmer position against Beijing and moved nearer to Washington. The article employs the notion of strategic partnership as an analytical framework and determines that conventional realist theories and hedging are insufficient for this specific instance. The research highlights Russia's geopolitical factors and acknowledgment of susceptibility, which together render its long-term energy strategies increasingly reliant on China. Formally, Russia aims to diversify its Asian energy clientele; however its emphasis has progressively shifted toward China.

Keywords:-  geopolitics, economy, security, political power