NYT: Russia-China Joint Exercises Raise Concern in Washington
Joint military exercises and growing cooperation between Russia and China are causing concern in Washington, reports The New York Times (NYT) citing Western military experts.
As the publication notes, the US strategy in the Asia-Pacific region for many years did not take into account possible cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in the military sphere, but a strategic partnership between Russia and China will create an effective counterbalance to pro-American blocs in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Beijing increasingly feels that diplomatic and economic actions are not enough to get its message across to Washington, so it is relying more on its military as a signaling tool. Partnering with Russia is a way to amplify Beijing’s messages,” said Brian Hart, a research fellow at the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
According to Alexander Korolev, an expert on Sino-Russian relations at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, China finds itself in a very difficult geopolitical situation. “It doesn’t really have any allies. Russia is the only country that can change anything,” he said.
Earlier, US presidential candidate Donald Trump expressed the opinion that Washington should not allow the interests of Russia and China to coincide. He noted that the US needs a “smart president” who would be able to stand up to Moscow and Beijing.
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