Because of “unlimited friendship”. Sören Urbansky and Martin Wagner show how the relationship between Beijing and Moscow repeatedly changed over the centuries. The only constant to this day: deeply rooted distrust.
There are relationships that were never easy – and will probably never be easy. The one between China and Russia is undoubtedly part of it: sometimes brothers in spirit, sometimes rivals on life and death. At the beginning of February 2022, a few weeks before Russia's attack on Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing ceremoniously conjure up a “limitless friendship”. But how resilient is an alliance that has been characterized by distrust, tactical calculation and latent competition for centuries? While the Kremlin hopes for unconditional backing, Beijing keeps strategic distance – not least so as not to endanger your own global interests.
