Dr Ji You1
1Xian Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
Biography:
You Ji (B.A., Peking University and PhD, Australian National University) is professor of international relations in the Department of International Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University. He is author of four books in English, the most recent one being China’s Military Transformation—Politics and War Preparation (2016); and numerous articles. You Ji taught in the University of Canterbury (1994-1996); and University of New South Wales (1996-2014), University of Macau (2015-2022). He is on the editorial board of eight academic journals including The China Journal, Asian Affairs, Issue and Studies, and Journal of Contemporary China.
Abstract:
Profoundly reshaping international geopolitics, the Ukraine War has once again put Sino-Russo relations on the spotlight. NATO has been vigilant on Sino-Russian military cooperation, especially in the area of arms transactions. Beijing has offered moral support to Russia by labelling NATO’s eastward expansion as the origin of Putin’s war. However, it has put Sino-Russia arms trade of lethal weapons on hold. A country at war would normally expect stronger support from its strategic partners than in peacetime. Apparently, there is a clash of vested interests between China and Russia under the circumstances of the Ukraine war. This raises a critical question of how firm the Sino–Russian strategic partnership is. Nevertheless, the general Sino-Russian military collaboration has continued and even been enhanced in the areas of joint war drills, exchange of visits by top defence officials, officers’ training, and bilateral collaboration on the R&D of strategic weapons systems. This paradox demonstrates the dialectical intricacies of the bilateral relations underlined by “friendship in need”. This paper attempts to decipher such complexity through evaluating the nature and dynamics of Sino-Russian defence cooperation amid the worsening international environment against both countries. To be more specific, this paper intends to explore the nature and depth of Sino-Russian defence cooperation, and its effects on the overall China-Russia relations.