ABSTRACT
Scholars studying Sino-Russian relations remain divided regarding the extent to which Russia’s and China’s visions of international order converge. The article addresses this question by comparing how Russian and Chinese elites interpret the evolution of world order. My analysis shows that Russian and Chinese views on world order partly overlap and partly diverge. Russia and China’s defiance of Western primacy in international politics provides a basis for cooperation. Both countries distrust the West and oppose some policies pursued by the United States and its European allies. At the same time, leaders in Moscow and Beijing do not fully agree on what alternative norms they would like to promote. While joint declarations paper over this divergence, the differences are more pronounced in the patterns of Russian and Chinese practical engagement with global governance and their attitudes towards globalization and anti-globalization movements. The Chinese leadership appears to be genuinely interested in contributing to political-economic stability, while Moscow seeks first and foremost the symbolic confirmation of its great-power status and does not mind playing the role of an occasional spoiler. The article concludes that these differences have the potential to slow down, if not derail, long-term cooperation between Russia and China.
