Why a strategic partnership ?the view from China

Chinese leaders claim that their country pursues a global foreign policy that does not favor any particular country. Indeed, China has established various types of partnerships with many countries, including the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, South Korea, Indonesia, Algeria, and Argentina. 1 Nevertheless, what is unique about the strategic cooperative partnership [zhanlue xiezuo huoban guanxi] that has characterized Sino-Russian relations since 1996 is its cross-cutting influence. This chapter evaluates how the partnership fits into key tenets of Chinese foreign policy: peaceful development, win-win diplomacy aiming toward multipolarization, and the creation of a harmonious world based on the democratization of international relations. While Chinese leaders note that the Sino-Russian relationship has never been better, the study takes a critical look at the partnership, relying on the increasingly open discussion of its weaknesses among Chinese journalists and scholars, and on a comparison of Russian and Chinese positions on key political and economic issues. Finally, the chapter concludes that while the Sino-Russian partnership has certain distinctive features, it is losing its privileged position for China in particular.