In recent months, China and Russia have upgraded their strategic partnership, conducted joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan, and deepened collaboration on nuclear and space technology. Beijing and Moscow have also taken steps to test the credibility of U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific and trans-Atlantic regions. But as China-Russia ties have grown increasingly robust, Washington has become more and more concerned, labeling an “increasingly assertive China” and a “destabilizing Russia” as its chief foreign policy challenges and engaging both countries in dialogue and diplomacy. 

However, this narrative of China-Russia partnership has its limits—widening trade and economic disparities and intensifying competition for influence in Central Asia produce substantial points of tension between the two nations. How will China and Russia navigate the complex, often conflicting, dynamics in their relationship? And how might their interactions impact the United States’ regional and global strategy? 

During a live recording of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle spoke with Guan Guihai, Associate Professor and Executive Vice President of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies at Peking University, Jennifer B. Murtazashvili, the Founding Director of the Center for Governance and Markets and Associate Professor at the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, and Alexander Gabuev, Senior Fellow and the Chair of the Russia in the Asia-Pacific Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center. This panel is the second of the Carnegie Global Dialogue Series 2021-2022 and is also available to be watched online.