The trade dispute and Western sanctions force China and Russia more closely, although there are very unequal partners and the mutual distrust is still there, writes Frank Sieren
You can do this only with friends: Last Saturday got China’s President Xi Jinping by the Russian President Vladimir Putin in a wooden box with a Russian ice cream on a stick to his 66. Birthday. “This is the brand that tastes the best,” said Xi. And Putin replied: “I’m glad to have a friend like you.”
Both met in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, where they participated in a Central Asian part of the conference. “On each trip I buy this Russian variety. When we are back home, then we eat,” said Xi as early as 2016, at the G20 summit in Hangzhou, China, after Putin had brought him the first box.
For my birthday the tastiest ice cream
On the birthdays of the Chinese top politician is not usually reported. The Chinese Protocol made an exception this time, and even film footage of the birthday allowed to meet, shows how important the Chinese relations with Russia.
Here, Xi was only a week earlier, on a state visit in Russia and was referred to Putin as “best friend and colleague”. The relations between China and Russia have never been better, so Xi.
These relations are not only based on personal friendship, but are characterized mainly by the geopolitical circumstances.
25 new contracts
The sanctions of the West against Russia and the trade dispute between China and the United States to force the two heads of state almost always to work more closely together. Around 30 Times, met Xi and Putin in the last six years. 25 new contracts were launched during the recent Meeting in Russia, including an agreement between Huawei and the Telecommunications operators MTS on the development of the Russian 5G networks. A controversy over whether they can now work with Huawei for security reasons or not, there was not as good as: In the matter of Internet control and censorship in Russia is already on Chinese model.
Russia has no problems with Huawei
The annual trade volume between Russia and China amounted to 2018, for the first time in more than 100 billion dollars – and rising. In 2017, Russia had replaced the Saudis as a major Oil-supplier, China – and at very reasonable prices. If the West is turning to the sanction, fall in China, the prices for Russian Gas, mocks the Chinese Ministry of foreign Affairs.
Russia mainly exports raw materials to China, coal, Oil, Gas, and wood. Beijing mainly supplies machinery, consumer goods and more and more fresh foods that were previously out of Europe. And Beijing is becoming more and more able to fill with its own technology, the gaps so that there is no more reason to return to Western products, as soon as the sanctions of the West will one day be repealed.
Together Western initiatives into the Empty run
Both countries want to handle their trade more in Yuan, even so the US Dollar in international trade, in the long run loses its importance. Both are from the West, especially the Americans, are unfairly treated. Both represent the supremacy of the USA in question, and not calling “interference in their internal Affairs”. And you have the Power to do so: As permanent members of the UN security Council of Western initiatives like time to Empty, for example in the case of intervention in Syria, or Venezuela. And Putin and Xi have already made it clear that they will stand behind Iran, so the pressure of the USA will be. China’s foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke last Tuesday, even from a “Pandora’s box” in relation to Iran. Whoever opens this box, the Greek myth, is all of mankind, to bring well-known Evils, such as toil, illness, and death on the world.
DW-columnist Frank Sieren
Joint military exercises have the second – and third-largest armies in the world already held, such as last September during the maneuvers “Vostok 2018”. One thing you must not forget that China may be the largest creditor of the United States, and its military comprehensively modernize, Russia is still today the only country that moves with its nuclear Arsenal on a par with the United States.
Mistrust occurs in the Background
The personal trust is so great, and the geopolitical constraints, the two clasp so strong that the traditional distrust between Russia and China, meanwhile, is pushed to the Background. China’s “New silk road” is not only positive sides for Russia, but also ensures that the Chinese in Central Asia, the former sphere of influence of the Russians, are getting stronger. You don’t see in Moscow. But Putin can change that. The weak Russian economy can hardly compete with the Chinese investment in the Region. China has, in turn, the concern that cooperation with Russia will remain in the mire of corruption and inefficiency plug and tombs Billion, which itself can not prevent Putin. Putin, in turn, wants to boost with Chinese large-scale projects, such as Pipelines and high-speed lines in the Russian economy.
Meeting of the project New silk road in April: China is expanding its sphere of influence
To speed things up, he called Tempting in the offer, for example, the joint Development of the Arctic sea, also known as “polar silk road”. Russia, which has most of the ice-breaker ships in the world, is one of the five States bordering the Arctic, in addition to Greenland (Denmark), Norway, Canada and the United States. There is also mineral resources such as natural gas and Oil are hidden there in large quantities under the ice.
How can Europe assert its own interests?
However, one thing is clear: Russia needs China on the world stage more than China, Russia, even if it is not, but Moscow was Beijing, whose military has played in the Syria conflict, a decisive role. Economically, the relations between Russia and China are not balanced. The proportion of China’s trade with Russia amounts to just 1.9 percent, while China’s share in Russia’s foreign trade accounts for 15 percent. Nevertheless, the unequal partners are growing ever closer together. The Europeans should consider slowly, if that’s what you want.
The sanctions have hurt especially Europe economically, without that, Putin would have been forced politically to give in. Thanks to the sanctions China has replaced Germany as early as 2017, as a major trading partner of Russia. The West should remain realistic: sanctions only work as long as there is no such powerful players like China on the other side. Europe should consider whether it can assert its interests with Russia its interests against China, but also to the United States. In the meantime, in any case, Angela Merkel gets no personal gifts from Vladimir Putin.
Our columnist Frank Sieren has lived for over twenty years in China.