• About Us
  • Careers
  • Brand Partnerships
TFI Official Merchandise
TFI English
TFI हिन्दी
Sunday, January 29, 2023
TFIGlobal
TFIGlobal
Right Arm. Round the World. FAST.
No Result
View All Result
  • Premium
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Americas
  • Canada
  • Indian Subcontinent
  • West Asia
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • The Caribbean
  • Premium
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Americas
  • Canada
  • Indian Subcontinent
  • West Asia
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • The Caribbean
TFIGlobal
TFIGlobal
No Result
View All Result

Maybe the world hasn’t noticed it yet but Russia has blocked China’s all three entrances to the rest of the world

Akshay Narang by Akshay Narang
December 26, 2020
in Geopolitics
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Maybe the world hasn’t noticed it yet but Russia has blocked China’s all three entrances to the rest of the world
1.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin continues to claim that he shares his Chinese counterpart’s so-called vision for multilateralism. Especially after Joe Biden’s controversial poll victory last month, the Putin administration has been warming up to China at a diplomatic level. Yet, Russia continues to perceive China as a threat and wants to check the paper dragon’s growing influence. At a strategic level, Russia is working against China’s interest.

Russia is trying to block Xi’s ambitions of connecting China with the oil-rich Arab and African nations, as well as the lucrative European markets. China has three routes to reach the Arab and the Western world if we presume that Xi’s Gwadar port plans will fail because of all the problems that the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor is facing. Interestingly, Russia is making its presence felt in all these three regions- the Arctic, the Strait of Malacca and Central Asia. 

Also Read

Lavrov’s presence in Eritrea is very unsettling for…..

Nigeria’s killer move spells doom for Visa and Mastercard

1. Strait of Malacca

This is the present route for Chinese trade with the Arab region, as well as Europe. But China wants to diversify, because the Strait of Malacca is a strategic chokepoint in the Indo-Pacific, connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans. 80 per cent of China’s oil imports pass through the South China Sea via the Strait of Malacca.

New Delhi, on the other hand, has been stepping up the pressure against China. India has been militarising the Andaman & Nicobar Islands close to the Strait of Malacca, and given the fragile Sino-India ties, Beijing remains wary of India’s ability to block the Strait of Malacca at will which would literally choke the paper dragon. 

Russia remains supportive of India’s ambitions to dominate the Strait of Malacca. In September, Indian and Russian navies even conducted a bilateral exercise near the Strait of Malacca. 

2. BRI in Central Asia

Xi Jinping’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become the fulcrum of China’s foreign policy and soft power display today. But when launched, it was merely a transportation project to connect China with the rest of the world. As such, Central Asia continues to figure at the top of Xi’s BRI agenda. 

If Xi has to reach the oil-rich Arab region and European markets, he will have to keep investing heavily in the five Central Asian Republics- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. But it is not so easy. Central Asia is a part of the former Soviet world, and Moscow still considers its privileged sphere of influence. 

Russia, China, Putin, Jinping
China’s new trade routes; China has been binding other regions close to it (Source: Wall Street Journal)

In fact, Putin doesn’t like how China eats into Russian space. The Kremlin has even started funding anti-China research of sorts, regarding Central Asia. So, when China tried to stake claim over half of Tajikistan, Russian media outlets did seem to have got irked. Similarly, Kyrgyzstan, which remains politically influenced by Russia, witnessed a major regime change recently that can now jeopardise BRI investments in the Central Asian country. 

3. The Arctic

The Arctic is the most futuristic route in Xi’s vision to connect China with West Asia and Europe. The resource-rich Arctic is presently a snow-covered region without much potential for maritime trade. But global warming is melting the polar ice caps and a few decades down the line, the region is expected to open up for shipping activity. 

China feels that the Arctic can be its shortcut to solve the ‘Malacca dilemma’. So, the paper dragon calls itself a “Near-Arctic State”, though it is a different matter that China is as far away from the Arctic as Poland. Russia however doesn’t buy China’s “Near-Arctic State” rhetoric. In fact, the Putin administration strongly asserts the primacy of eight Arctic countries, including Russia itself, in the region.

Of late, Russia has tested a hypersonic missile in the Arctic and an anti-satellite missile, which presumably focuses on the Arctic region. The Putin administration has also restored a Soviet-era facility for testing small weapons in extreme Arctic conditions. 

So, Russia may not antagonise China publicly, but it has definitely blocked China’s three routes to the rest of the world along with Xi’s ambitions to make the paper dragon a true superpower. 

Tags: ChinaPutinRussiaShort takesXi Jinping
ShareTweetSend
Previous Post

Trump has vetoed the US Defence Policy bills 2020 and with that, he has given the deep state, a good jolt again

Next Post

“Impose sanctions on us and see the world crumbling,” Putin’s feelers to Jinping are actually unsubtle messages to Biden

Also Read

Canada and Denmark threatened by Russia’s new move

Canada and Denmark threatened by Russia’s new move

January 29, 2023
Lavrov’s presence in Eritrea is very unsettling for…..

Lavrov’s presence in Eritrea is very unsettling for…..

January 29, 2023
EU pins its hopes on South Africa to rescue it from the Ukraine crisis

EU pins its hopes on South Africa to rescue it from the Ukraine crisis

January 29, 2023
Nigeria’s killer move spells doom for Visa and Mastercard

Nigeria’s killer move spells doom for Visa and Mastercard

January 29, 2023
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Saudi Arabia Caribbean

Saudi Arabia expands its Caribbean foothold with an $80m gift

January 22, 2023
Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation?

Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation?

May 9, 2022
World Economic Forum

“Sex, sleaze, and drugs” is what WEF is all about

January 18, 2023
Cuba Ally

Cuba in Ukraine war is impossible! USA has gone bonkers in its desperation

January 24, 2023
Orwellian “Ministry of Truth” becomes a reality in Biden’s America

Orwellian “Ministry of Truth” becomes a reality in Biden’s America

April 28, 2022
Jamaica: The Best Hotspot for Pure Tropical Fun

Jamaica: The Best Hotspot for Pure Tropical Fun

January 29, 2023
All 13 Premiers of Canada give Trudeau a wakeup call

All 13 Premiers of Canada give Trudeau a wakeup call

January 29, 2023
Canada and Denmark threatened by Russia’s new move

Canada and Denmark threatened by Russia’s new move

January 29, 2023
Finland could now throw out Western Companies, so it decides to tax them instead

Finland could now throw out Western Companies, so it decides to tax them instead

January 29, 2023
Trudeau’s data manipulation skills leave Cuomo in the dust

Trudeau’s data manipulation skills leave Cuomo in the dust

January 29, 2023
Youtube Twitter Facebook
TFIGlobal
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy

©2023 - TFI MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

No Result
View All Result
  • Premium
  • Indo-Pacific
  • Americas
  • Canada
  • Indian Subcontinent
  • West Asia
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • The Caribbean

©2023 - TFI MEDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Follow us on Twitter

and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team

Follow @tfiglobal
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. View our Privacy and Cookie Policy.