By Shreya Singh
The Russian President, Vladimir Putin visited Beijing for the first time since his reelection in June 2012. Besides attending the SCO convention he also met President Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, the Premier, the Vice-Premier and the Vice-President during his trip. What does this meeting signify for Sino-Russian relations and the international security order?
China, Russia And The SCO
China and Russia are the only two members of the SCO that are also permanent members of the UN Security Council. Coupled with their economic and military prowess they are likely to remain the main decision-makers within the SCO in terms of agenda and approaches. Moreover, the fact that they share a long border and have many areas for joint cooperation makes them likely allies. The SCO is then simply another mechanism for China and Russia to work together.
Although Russia and China have always had a less than sturdy relationship, with the growing concern of a US-dominated security order, Russia and China can be seen to be moving closer, as reflected in the joint veto action against Syria. Since Putin’s election as President of Russia in 2000, bilateral relations between China-Russia have improved immeasurably.
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