For many years most western experts talked of Russia and China as only having constructed a convenient relationship based on little more than opposition to the unipolar order. Lacking in depth and beset by all manner of  differences, this relationship it was asserted was a  very ‘rocky affair’ whose divisions would soon be exposed by the war in Ukraine. But as the recent summit between Xi and Putin revealed, the partnership between the two countries has not only survived the war but has become stronger. Why is this so? What does it mean for the West? And can anything be done about It?

By kind invitation of Bob Seely MP, The Henry Jackson Society is pleased to gather a panel of experts to explore the Chinese-Russian cooperation in global affairs, including China’s stance on the war in Ukraine.

https://www.lse.ac.uk/ideas/people/cox-mick

Professor Michael Cox was appointed to a Chair at the LSE in 2002, having previously held positions in the UK at The Queen’s University of Belfast and the Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth. A founding Director of  LSE IDEAS in 2008, later rated as the world’s leading university affiliated Think Tank, he has held several other appointments including Chair of the United States Discussion Group at Chatham House, a senior fellowship at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, a visiting Professorship at the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies in Canberra, and Chair of the European Consortium for Political Research. He is currently a visiting professor at the Catholic University in Milan and an Associate Fellow in the US and Americas Programme at Chatham House. He is the author, editor and co-editor of  over  25 books including most recently ‘Agonies of Empire: American Power from Clinton to Biden’ and ‘Afghanistan: Long War – Forgotten  Peace’,  both published in 2022. Originally trained as a Sovietologist  in the 1970s,  for several years  he lectured at Peking University (PKU) in China. His next book will examine the Russia -China relationship and will be published by Polity Press later this year under the suitably provocative title of ‘Comrades’.

Jonathan Fenby, a former editor of newspapers in the UK and Asia, is the author of twenty books on China, France and the Second World War and its aftermath. He edited Reuters news service, the Observer in Britain and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong as well as holding senior editorial positions at The Economist, The Guardian and The Independent. He was also a founding partner of the analytical service, Trusted Sources, where he directed the China coverage. He is a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) and a Chevalier of both the French Légion d’Honneur and Ordre National du Mérite.

Bob Seely is the Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight. He sits on the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Dr Seely writes academically and journalistically on foreign affairs as well as more generally on non-conventional and new forms of conflict. Prior to his election in June 2017, Dr Seely served on the Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and ISIS campaigns as a member of the Armed Forces. From 1990 to 1994, Dr Seely lived in the Soviet Union and post-Soviet states. His academic and foreign affairs writing is available online at: https://kcl.academia.edu/RobertSeely. Dr Seely has written one of the few peer-reviewed definitions of Contemporary Russian Conflict Strategy available in the West and holds a PhD in Russian military strategy.

Dr Helena Ivanov is an associate research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. She recently completed a PhD in International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her research focuses on the relationship between propaganda and violence against civilians. In her thesis, Helena examined the role propaganda played during the Yugoslav Wars and produced a model for studying propaganda which details the key phases, functions, discourses, and techniques of propaganda (the model itself is applicable to other contexts). Additionally, Helena also served as a Manager at the Centre for International Studies at the LSE.

Prior to her PhD, Helena completed an MPhil in Political Theory at the University of Oxford, and holds a BA in Politics from the University of Belgrade.

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EVENT SUMMARY

The Henry Jackson Society was pleased to host a panel of experts to discuss and critique the current political relationship between Russia and China in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Dr. Helena Ivanov opened the discussion by introducing the panelists and describing how how the partnership between Russia and China has not only survived the war but indeed become stronger because of it. Bob Seely then provided a broad outline of the distinct threats posed by each country, saying that while Russia represents a more immediate crisis, that China’s hegemonic ambitions in Asia pose a more subtle and far more serious threat. Seely acknowledged that the West’s dependence on Chinese supply chains and shipping routes gives them considerable leverage, and that no serious conflict over Taiwan or the South China Sea could occur without wreaking havoc on the global economy. Professor Michael Cox argued that there is far more that binds China and Russia together than mere convenience, and that the intimacy between Xi Jinping and Putin reflects a deeply integrated view of global politics, trade, and defense policy. Jonathan Fenby disagreed, arguing that as the senior partner in the relationship China pursues a broadly opportunistic policy towards Russia. Russia is seen as a convenient ally and a source of natural resources and arms, but China’s recently worsening relationship with the United States is the more important strategic consideration.

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