October 11, 2010 By James Kimer

Moscow Recalculates Relations with Beijing

MK Bhadrakumar has a good commentary published in The Hindu on the rapidly changing relationship between Russia and China:

An influential Moscow commentator wrote: “For America, China is an obvious strategic rival … But growing economic dependence is causing these two rivals to tread cautiously and in a responsible manner. This is the kind of effect that we [Russia] should have pressed for in Russian-Chinese relations, because similar world views are a less substantive matter than factories or containers travelling across the oceans … The bottom line is: we will deepen political relations through the economy … The key objective of Russian policy now is the country’s innovative modernisation … The efforts that China is making to develop its own intellectual property base are tremendous, and in general the focus of global innovation is now shifting to Asia which, of course, includes China. Strategically, Russia has to draw new conclusions.” (…)