Date: Thursday 16 June 2022
Time: 12.00-2.00pm
Location (hybrid): Online & Seminar Room, China in the World Building (188), Fellows Lane, ANU
REGISTRATION ESSENTIAL
Lunch will be available from 12pm, with the seminar commencing at 12.30pm.
About the Event:
Sino-Russian relations have always had a deep impact on both countries, and the rise and fall of their alliance during the Cold War even significantly shaped the history of Xi’s own family. In this talk, Professor Joseph Torigian will compare that earlier era of the relationship to the present day across three issue areas. First, although the two countries are no longer tied by Marxist ideology, they share a distaste for western democracy and a hope that the world will become safer for authoritarian regimes. Second, during the Cold War, China’s use of force often led to tensions with the USSR – now, it is Russia’s aggressive behavior that stresses the relationship. Third, the Putin-Xi friendship is an anomaly in the history of the relationship, as previous leaders often mistrusted or disrespected one another. An appreciation for these differences suggests that although the relationship is not as close as it was at the height of the Sino-Soviet alliance and that neither side will fully sacrifice its interests for the other, in some ways the relationship today is better capable of managing centrifugal forces.