From Radio Free Europe:
When Russia and China held joint military exercises last summer, it appeared that a powerful new strategic alliance was about to come of age.
The two countries, after all, routinely cooperate on the UN Security Council to thwart the West on issues ranging from Kosovo’s independence to sanctions against Iran. They are the frontline states in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which both have touted as an emerging Asian military powerhouse. They also share a common stated desire to curb U.S. global influence and establish what both Moscow and Beijing call a “multipolar world.”
But despite the hype in Moscow and Beijing, analysts say the long-term prospects for an anti-Western Sino-Russian axis are less promising than official statements suggest. Beneath the platitudes about strategic global cooperation and partnership lies a growing local rivalry: a fierce competition between Moscow and Beijing for energy reserves in Central Asia, a region in both countries’ backyards that both view as a vital sphere of influence.
