ABSTRACT
During the last three and a half centuries, relations between two neighbors, Russia and China, have been characterized by both cooperation and competition. At the present time, these same contradictory elements continue to mark relations between the two great powers in the political, economic, and ideological spheres, as well as in informal contacts among their citizens. Rivalry in geopolitics and the competitive desires of both Russia and China for political and military leadership are offset, to some extent, by the shared aspiration to maintain a balance of power in Asia.
