FT: The China–Russia axis is not about shared values. It’s a marriage of convenience, powered by war, resentment, and trade. Europe calls it the biggest geopolitical threat today. The Dragon-Bear alliance is real. 1/
Trade between China and Russia hit $245B in 2024, up 30% since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. China gets cheap energy and battlefield lessons. Russia gets cash and dual-use tech. 2/
Putin calls the West hypocritical and colonial. Xi says the U.S. encircles and suppresses China. Both frame their rise as historic revenge for imperial humiliation. 3/
China’s Belt and Road narrative sells itself as peaceful, inclusive, and ancient. Russia’s new foreign policy doctrine describes it as a civilization state destined to lead Eurasia. 4/
Both reject U.S.-led rules. Both demand a new multipolar world. Both appeal to post-colonial audiences in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. 5/
Russian intelligence calls China the enemy in leaked documents. Officers are told to block Chinese access to weapons data. 6/
China has ramped up espionage targeting Russian officials since 2022. Beijing wants strategic secrets - especially on drones, command structures, and air defense. 7/
Top Chinese analyst Feng Yujun: Russia seeks a new empire. It is insecure, aggressive, and driven by Orthodox messianism. Its goals clash with Beijing’s. 8/
Russia took Chinese territory in the 1800s: the Treaties of Kulja (1851) and Peking (1860). Now both sides pretend to forget for profit. 9/
Xi and Putin call the alliance eternal. But it lasts only as long as both sides benefit. There is no “no-limits” trust - only shared enemies, shared messaging, and shared leverage. 10X