Western media often describe the relationship between Russia and China as a close friendship between two ‘autocracies’ against the ‘Western community of values’. Xi and Putin speak of a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ that aims to establish a ‘multipolar world order’. But who should be the poles in a post-American world order? Is there a threat of a new ‘Cold War’ with global bloc formation? How stable is the alliance between Moscow and Beijing really?

A look at history shows that the Soviet-Chinese alliance was characterised by tensions. Ideological conflicts and disputes over the division of roles led to a split in the world communist movement and resulted in hostilities such as the Ussuri border conflict of 1969. Even today, the mutual perception of the two countries remains ambivalent. Russian elites, who define themselves in European terms, rarely regard China as an equal. Conversely, Chinese elites sometimes view Russia with scepticism, as its economic power only corresponds to the level of a Chinese province. So is the alliance merely a partnership of convenience for China in the face of pressure from the USA? What impact does the geopolitical situation have on the war in Ukraine? Could China’s support for Russia waver if its own interests are jeopardised? Or can the partnership withstand the global tensions during the second Trump administration?

The discussion event is being held in cooperation with the University of Cologne (Chair of Modern China Studies) and the University of Bonn (CASSIS) and the ‘Jahrbuch für Historische Kommunismusforschung’, funded by the Gerda-und-Hermann-Weber-Stiftung in the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship.

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