Enter the 'DragonBear'

Velina Tchakarova, Enter the 'DragonBear': The Russia-China Partnership and What it Means for Geopolitics, ORF Issue Brief No. 538, April 2022, Observer Research Foundation.

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30.04.2022

Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine follows its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its continued direct support for separatist activities in eastern Ukraine, marking a new chapter in Moscow's geopolitical approach. China's response and its overt diplomatic, financial, and economic support for Russia was also noteworthy. This brief assesses the contours of the new geopolitical formation (the 'DragonBear', a term coined by this author) that is characterised by deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing in key strategic areas, and the geopolitical options it presents to Russian President Vladimir Putin.