From Partnership to Asymmetry: Sino-Russian Role Performance in BRICS after 2022

This thesis investigates how Russia’s post-2022 international isolation has influenced Sino-Russian role performance within BRICS. Although BRICS presents itself as a collective and governance coalition with equal member’s status, internal power asymmetries such as China’s dominance and Russia’s dependency, challenge the image of a united bloc and voice of Global South. Little research was conducted on how post-2022 events and the resulting geopolitical shifts have affected internal Sino-Russian role dynamics within BRICS. Drawing on role theory, the research investigates Russia and China as actors performing and negotiating distinct roles within the BRICS framework. Using qualitative content analysis to analyse official BRICS summit declarations from 2021 to 2025, the research traces patterns in self-presentation, initiative setting and collective framing. The results reveal persistent internal power asymmetry and the coexistence of formal equality and informal hierarchy, exposing...Show moreThis thesis investigates how Russia’s post-2022 international isolation has influenced Sino-Russian role performance within BRICS. Although BRICS presents itself as a collective and governance coalition with equal member’s status, internal power asymmetries such as China’s dominance and Russia’s dependency, challenge the image of a united bloc and voice of Global South. Little research was conducted on how post-2022 events and the resulting geopolitical shifts have affected internal Sino-Russian role dynamics within BRICS. Drawing on role theory, the research investigates Russia and China as actors performing and negotiating distinct roles within the BRICS framework. Using qualitative content analysis to analyse official BRICS summit declarations from 2021 to 2025, the research traces patterns in self-presentation, initiative setting and collective framing. The results reveal persistent internal power asymmetry and the coexistence of formal equality and informal hierarchy, exposing the limits of BRICS’s collective identity. The analysis demonstrates that, following 2022, Russia adopted a supporter role while China consolidated structural leadership, embedding its national agenda institutionally across key policy areas. The research concludes that shock events and geopolitical tension drive role adaptation within informal international organizations.Show less

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From Partnership to Asymmetry: Sino-Russian Role Performance in BRICS after 2022