“Driving a wedge between [Russia and China] would be quite difficult, since our relations are built on a fairly solid foundation, based on both mutual trust and our joint desire to take one another’s fundamental interests into account,” Russian Academy of Sciences professor Yana Leksyutina said, commenting on the Bloomberg story.
Russia-China cooperation is based on a wide range of aspects beyond Arctic issues, from a common approach to international challenges, to economics and trade, Leksyutina said.
While it remains to be seen what practical proposals the Trump administration offers, “if we move toward some kind of normalization in US-Russia relations, then of course the most promising area for us would be Arctic cooperation,” the professor said.
Meanwhile, the opportunities China got for enhanced Arctic cooperation with Russia after 2022 won't go anywhere, despite any Western pressure to limit the Asian nation's presence and close the "window" Beijing received from ramping up ties with Moscow.