Year: 2014
Type: report
Abstract: A close reading of the recent high profile summits of the Asia‐Pacific – the 22nd APEC leaders’ mee ng in Beijing and the 9th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Naypyitaw, Myanmar – provides the opportunity to assess the depth and velocity of change in the regional poli cal arena. One of the most intriguing developments comes from a new strategic conjunc on between China and Russia, the la er estranged and sanc oned by the West over Ukraine. The progress in the major areas of Sino‐Russian coopera on since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis not only demonstrates the level of trust between the two powers, but raises the ques on about concerted Sino‐Russian “pushback” against the U.S. in Asia. Although the recent US‐China arrangements in security, investments and environmental policies have eased tensions between the two, the problem of trust and conflic ng interests in the region remains unresolved. Earlier this year Chinese President Xi Jiping acclaimed China’s leadership roles in the forma on of comprehensive and equal security in Asia based on the mechanism of the Conference on Interac on and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). And he called for the people of Asia to resolve regional security issues without US meddling. In addi on, Beijing has announced the strategy of engagement of Asia, revitalizing and enlarging the Shanghai Coopera on Organiza on (SCO), ac vely pursuing its con nental economic ‘corridor diplomacy’ and mari me ‘Silk Road’ strategy, and further challenging Western financial predominance by establishing the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). At the APEC mee ng in Beijing China cast doubts about the transparency and openness of the 12‐na on talks on Trans Pacific Partnership, proposing instead the roadmap to study the op ons for the Free Trade Area of the Asia‐ Pacific (FTAAP). Desperately seeking closer coopera on with Asia to offset the decline in its rela onship with the West, the Russian leadership secured its highest representa on at the regional summits and consistently demonstrated Moscow’s shared posi on with China on cri cal regional issues. The two countries pledged their determina on to expand coopera on “no ma er what changes occur in the world.” Russia fully supported Beijing’s road map on FTAAP and accused the U.S. of promo ng the TPP as an exclusive regional economic bloc. At the East Asia Summit Premier Medvedev reiterated Russia’s adherence to the 2010 Russo‐Chinese joint ini a ve on the reforming of the Asia‐Pacific security architecture. In its Asia energy policy, Moscow considers Beijing a privileged partner in the Asian market. These achievements make many Western foreign policy thinkers and prac oners believe in the reality of the emerging Beijing‐Moscow condominium which might challenge U.S. regional and global supremacy and even lead to Washington’s nightmare scenario of confron ng the Sino‐Russian tandem in interna onal affairs. These alarmist assump ons are misleading because they ignore the dynamics of Moscow’s nuanced and mul faceted Asia policy of strategic diversity in regional affairs, which implies Vitaly Kozyrev, Visiting Fellow at
Author: Vitaly Kozyrev
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W400905416