Where the unstoppable force meets the immovable object: Understanding the Sino-Russian relationship through the lens of China’s SREB and Russia’s EEU

A review of the literature on the Sino-Russian relationship identifies a widening mismatch between expectations and reality. Scholarly expectations highlight the propensity of conflict, based upon traditional security considerations resulting in a definition of the Sino-Russian relationship that is limited, instrumental and asymmetric—an ‘axis of convenience’ according to mainstream scholars. Tensions are held to be most conspicuous in Russia and China’s shared backyard: Central Asia. Since the 2010s, both China and Russia have engaged in efforts to rearrange their regional backyards and consolidate influence over their smaller neighbours. The simultaneous, yet juxtapositional, establishment of Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and China’s Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) are widely deemed to reflect the independent foreign policy objectives of each party as well as the traditional security considerations underlying their regional projects. As a result, they have led many...Show moreA review of the literature on the Sino-Russian relationship identifies a widening mismatch between expectations and reality. Scholarly expectations highlight the propensity of conflict, based upon traditional security considerations resulting in a definition of the Sino-Russian relationship that is limited, instrumental and asymmetric—an ‘axis of convenience’ according to mainstream scholars. Tensions are held to be most conspicuous in Russia and China’s shared backyard: Central Asia. Since the 2010s, both China and Russia have engaged in efforts to rearrange their regional backyards and consolidate influence over their smaller neighbours. The simultaneous, yet juxtapositional, establishment of Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and China’s Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) are widely deemed to reflect the independent foreign policy objectives of each party as well as the traditional security considerations underlying their regional projects. As a result, they have led many analysts to foresee a new Great Game in the region. To date, tensions have not surfaced, why? Contributing to critical scholarship, this thesis engages in securitization theory to gain insights into the different identities and security drivers underlying both powers’ regional initiatives. Appreciating the normative and ideational underpinnings of Russia’s EEU and China’s SREB, this research provides a new take upon the question why, and to what extent, the relationship does work—instead of why it does not, or will not, work. A poststructuralist discourse analysis has been conducted to examine these discursive representations of identity and security and answer this thesis’ main research question: To what extent do the security discourses of Russia’s EEU and China’s SREB explain the compatibility of the two initiatives? The findings of this thesis provide a balanced and contextualized account of both powers’ regional initiatives and give greater attention to the forces of convergence shaping the Sino-Russian relationship in the region and beyond.Show less

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Where the unstoppable force meets the immovable object: Understanding the Sino-Russian relationship through the lens of China’s SREB and Russia’s EEU