“NEW TRIANGLE” IN RELATIONS BETWEEN CHINA, RUSSIA AND THE USA

The emergence of a “new triangle” in relations of China, Russiaand the United Stateshas become an objective reality. By its nature, structure, content, functionality and influence, the current triangle differs from the “great triangle” of the PRC-USA-USSR that existed in the past. In the relations of the three countries there is no definite rut of change, at the present stage their prospects are open. In the Sino-Russian-American “new triangle” there are many changes that can be divided into background changes and immediate changes that affect the structure of relationships. Changes in the “triangle” are not mechanical, isolated from the outside world and unilinear, they are determined by the interaction of many factors. Theoretically, in the “triangle” of China, Russiaand the United Statesthere are many possible models, the choice of which is not exclusively subjective and depends largely on the overall situation and real needs.
Creating a union is instrumental and theoretically there is no need to completely eliminate it from the set of diplomatic tools. Within the “triangle”, the Sino-Russian partnership without an alliance represents the best model, the conclusion of an alliance can only be a forced choice. The conclusion of the Sino-Russian alliance would imply a perception of theUnited States as an open enemy, and although the alliance can weaken the threat, designating a great power as an enemy will in itself create tremendous strategic pressure. A great strategic success forChina would be to prevent the appearance of the enemy, and especially not to allow the partner to turn into an enemy. Equally important is maintaining good ties with the other two powers at an even higher level of diplomacy. Although the likelihood of a Chinese-Russian military-political alliance is very low, the continued deterioration of Chinese-American and Russian-American relations could pushChina andRussia to create some kind of Asian bloc.China rejects the mentality of the Cold War and the “zero-sum game,” but it is able to rationally, effectively and constructively use the structure of the Chinese-Russian-American triangle.

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