September 17, 2025Open Access

China-Russia Relations in the Indo-Pacific After the Ukraine War: Unanticipated Hedging Opportunities for Moscow

Key Points

Russia is diversifying its economic and security strategies in the Indo-Pacific region, following the Ukraine war.
The analysis highlights the unanticipated hedging opportunities Russia has found amid its reliance on China.
Geopolitical dynamics, such as US-China rivalry, impact Russia's position and relational strategies in Asia.
The study reflects on how changing trust levels in US security guarantees shape regional alliances.

Abstract

After invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia faced isolation from the West and has been viewed as increasingly dependent on China. However, Moscow’s embrace of China as an economic, military, and political ally is only part of the story, reflecting the two countries’ systemic balancing against the United States. Geopolitical complications in the Indo-Pacific after the Ukraine war – intensifying China-US rivalry, China’s tensions with India and Vietnam, and deteriorating trust in the United States as a security guarantor – have placed Russia in a position to diversify its regional economic and security bets, displaying hedging rather than unequivocal balancing behaviour.

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Cite This Study

Alexander Korolev (Fri,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d4605131b076d99fa5fbfb https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.53300/001c.144322

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