For years - and for years… - China and Russia / USSR were the âbest enemiesâ. Brothers of ideological faith, separated them which underlies many relationships between nations: to dispute hair power. That is, the communist creed was not enough to nuance such a geopolitical reality.
The roots of this conflict go back to the time when Mao Zedong and his troops entered the Forbidden City, in October 1949. Remember, by the way, that at that time Moscow supported the nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek, that the Maoists âexpelledâ to Taiwan. Furthermore, Mao had strayed from Soviet ideological orthodoxy and developed his own, based more on the conditions of the Chinese peasantry than on the urban workers of the USSR.
The communist victory in the Chinese Civil War made, however, for mutual convenience, alliance between the two âbrotherâ regimes is necessary. To achieve it, right after the victory in Beijing, still in December of that same year, Mao went to Moscow on what would be his first and only trip abroad, except for a return to the USSR, in 1957. The nascent People's Republic had not yet been structured; like this, he considered it important to ensure that "New China" was on the "right side of history", that is, of the communist regime. He believed that, for so much, needed Joseph Stalin's blessing and Soviet help, because China was in ruin after years of war, first with Japan and then with itself, had few industries and almost no infrastructure. It was raging in it, instead, enormous poverty and uncontrollable diseases. To USSR, From you, although recovering from the losses of World War II, relied on a modern industry, atomic weapons and the ambitions of a superpower.
Mao stayed in the Soviet Union for two months, with the purpose of obtaining âStalin's blessingsâ for his political project. Ledo mistake… his hosts received him coldly, and even disdain. And even though the two “faith partners” have signed a formal alliance, in 14 February 1950, the period of confrontations - veiled, or not – that followed it intensified even more in the decade of 60, when Nikita Kruschev liderou in the USSR. Moscow intended to treat Beijing as one of its satellites, in the style of Eastern European countries, while the leaders of the People's Republic demanded equal treatment..
But time passed and the two countries followed different paths: while the Soviet Union fell apart with âperestroikaâ, and âloudnessâ, the fall of the Berlin wall, and the erratic government of Boris Yeltsin, the Chinese, lulled by the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping and the leaders who followed him in the process of undoing the Maoist economy and opening up China to the world - the âsocialist market economyâ - would make his economy the second largest on the planet, with the purpose of taking the lead in this century (se o âChina Dreamâ, political-ideological philosophy coined by a Professor at the Defense Academy of China, Liu Mingfu, often touted by Xi Jinping, come true).
Inverted, So, the papers? It will be?
What is Vladimir Putin's Russia?…I had the privilege of serving for almost a year in Astana, in Kazakhstan, still during Nursultan Nazarbaiev's âreignâ. I think that only the "field experience" allows to assess the "abstract presence" of Moscow in the minds of the former members of the Soviet Union. The âeternal Russiaâ is still considered the âeternal Russiaâ and, over, still preserves this image with its former republics. These, very young (?), with just 28 years of existence, still seek a space and an identity. In this momentary âvacuumâ, Russia maintains its threatening / seductive soft power, and insists on considering your neighborhood as your âbackyardâ.
And it still manages to expand its image of power around the world. If not how to explain the presence - and irradiation - of what is âonlyâ the 13th world economy (below Brazil, therefore)? Of course, Iâm simplifying a lot, but the result is the same: with or without your arms trade, a energia nuclear, e etc., the presence of Russia, remains vivid and extremely active, and spreads across several regions of the planet (Venezuela, Syria, Ukraine, and even in the political life of the United States…).
Shadows from the past, âDecoyâ, or consummated strategy, with – or without – reason?
That's where Putin and Xi come together…leaders of two large neighboring countries, inserted in a particularly complex region - Korea, Japan, Middle East, etc, -, in a world increasingly exposed to the globalization vs. isolationism dichotomy, in a rapidly changing world post-economy - technology 4 e 5G â, the catalog of asymmetries and symmetries is huge, as well as the challenges.
And symmetry is what we are seeing, per hour, between the Russian and Chinese leadership: Putin participated in the two Beijing Summits sponsored by Xi on the âOne Belt project, One Road Initiativeâ, which aims to unite Asia with Africa and Europe, in the process of restoring what was the greatest vehicle for commercial - and cultural - expansion in the history of mankind; they often meet on bilateral visits – Putin was the âguest of honorâ for the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Communist Revolution, in Beijing; both share, with greater or lesser emphasis, similar view of the crises in Syria and Venezuela; see the Islamic question from the same perspective; are members of BRICS, and there we go…
What can we infer from this?
I believe that both see geopolitics and world geoeconomics centered on the West as entering its decline: the âtrade warâ between the PRC and the USA would be its most obvious symptom. In this context, both believe they have a role to play in the world that is imminent. Think, also, that both - nuclear powers – do not wish to create an Asian âdĂ©tenteâ (most of the Russian territory is located in Asia), in case the power struggle becomes âbilateralizedâ again…and also believe to be partners in tackling Donald Trump's âAmerica Firstâ.
And both think that energy will be one of the defining themes in the world that conforms. It is in this context that today they launched a giant gas pipeline linking the two countries, as part of a US agreement $ 400 billion that will cement Russia as the world's largest gas exporter. Theme, by the way, of utmost importance in the Chinese âNew Silk Roadâ itinerary. In a video interview during an elaborate televised ceremony, Putin and Xi hailed the pipeline “Power of Siberia” as a symbol of bilateral cooperation. In Putin's words to Xi: âtoday is remarkable, a truly historic event not only for the global energy market, but first of all for us and for you, for Russia and Chinaâ. To which the Chinese leader responded: âChina-Russia relations are entering a new eraâ…
The past is, however, indelible and memory remains an example – and lesson. I always repeat to my students that in international relations ânothing is white, nothing is black, everything is gray â…What will be the tones of this âaffairâ, or future will tell…
The news “passed beat” in the Brazilian press. Endorse our distance from the most important international issues. So, recommend to friends to read the article
âThe Daily Newsâ Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping open giant gas link
Vladamir Putin and Xi Jinping discussed the new âPower of Siberia’ pipeline during an elaborate televised ceremony. The 3,000km pipeline will supply
