ABSTRACT
A proper understanding of Russo–Chinese relations requires us to grasp the continuing dynamism of this relationship since the 1980s. 1 It has evolved from a relationship of more or less equals in the 1990s to one where Russia’s rising dependence on China and economic inferiority has become increasingly visible. Aleksandr’ Gabuev of the Carnegie Endowment in Moscow now characterizes the relationship as one of asymmetric interdependence, if not an alliance, where Moscow depends more on Beijing than Beijing depends on Moscow. 2 This can only lead, ceteris paribus, to a relationship where, in Bismarck’s metaphor, China is the rider and Russia, the horse.
