Russia and China are sending their navies to the Baltic Sea: Is a formal alliance next?

Russia and China are about to kick-off the operational phase of their first ever European joint naval exercises in the Baltic Sea.

The exercise is an indication of the growing strategic partnership between the Kremlin and Beijing. For China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, the Maritime Cooperation-2017 exercise is an opportunity to demonstrate its global reach and to show its support for a strategic partner. For the Kremlin, the war games are an important demonstration to show that Moscow has friends—if not allies—despite its isolation from the West…

Olga Oliker, director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, agreed that the Sino-Russian naval exercises are designed to send a specific message out. However, Moscow and Beijing are sending different signals.
“I think it’s important to separate out the signals each country is likely trying to send. From Russia’s perspective, there’s of course the usual reminder that this is their neighborhood, where of course they will exercise. Bringing China in sends the signal that they have friends, if not allies,” Oliker said.

“China’s involvement is more interesting. It’s kind of amazing how over a fairly short period China has gone from a country that doesn’t do exercises with other countries, to one deploying into the Baltic Sea. To some extent, this is a show of support for Russia and its right to defend its sovereignty and act in waters near its territory. I think China is also sending the signal that it, too has territorial waters, and also that it, too, is a global actor. But I wouldn’t read into it that China is thinking it would get involved in any Russian adventures in Europe, though, should those be in the cards.”

The bottom line for the United States is that Russia and China are drawing closer together with the goal of challenging Washington’s global dominance. Historically, the United States has sought to prevent the rise of a regional hegemony or alliance that could dominate the Eurasian landmass. Unfortunately, American foreign policy over the last 25-years might have inadvertently forced two former enemies to cooperate to do just that.