Amid international tensions between Russia and the US, fears of a partnership between America's main geopolitical rivals are beginning to grow following in-person meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
In the local context, a recent meeting between Chinese and Russian diplomats in Malta stands testament to growing ties between the two nations. A press release from the Chinese embassy reads as follows:
“On 8th February 2022, H.E. Ambassador Yu Dunhai met with H.E. Mr Andrey Lopukhov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Malta. They exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest.”
Relations between China and the former Soviet Union broke down in the 1960s in what has come to be known as the Sino-Soviet split. It is widely agreed upon that the division between the two had a significant part to play in allowing US hegemony over world order in the second half of the Cold War and in the decades after.
In a recent meeting between the two, both leaders announced that there would be 'no limits' to the friendship between their two nations.
However, since the collapse of communism, Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, as well as the recent developments on the Russo-Ukrainian border, it is fair to say that the stage has been set for strengthened relations between Russia and China.