The growing strategic convergence between China and Russia has become a central theme in the debate over international security. While the two powers pursue different objectives and adopt different methods, their alignment is increasingly viewed as a challenge for Europe and for the transatlantic alliance.
China–Russia alignment under scrutiny. This issue was discussed during a hearing at the U.S. Helsinki Commission, an independent government agency created by Congress in 1976 to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Final Act signed the previous year. The hearing focused on the evolving geopolitical dynamics linking Beijing, Moscow, and the European Union.
“Strange bedfellows” united against Western influence. According to Valbona Zeneli, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of the “[OVER]views” column for Decode39, the relationship between China and Russia is grounded in strategic convergence aimed primarily at countering Western influence.
- “China and Russia are strange bedfellows,” Zeneli explained during the hearing. The two actors, she said, “share a strategic alignment, mainly to counter the imposition of the United States and NATO, but also the broader liberal international order.”
- Despite this alignment, the two partners remain fundamentally different. Russia was described as “a revisionist nuclear power seeking to undermine NATO and destroy the current international order.”
- China, by contrast, pursues a more gradual and sophisticated strategy, seeking to “reshape global institutions and benefit from them.”
The Ukraine war reshaped European perceptions. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine marked a turning point in how many European governments perceive China. Beijing’s political and economic support for Moscow has contributed to growing distrust across Europe and heightened awareness of the security challenges posed by China.
- At the same time, the partnership between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin has continued to deepen. “Over the past two years, they have met more than 40 times,” Zeneli noted, adding that “this should tell us something.”
Diverging European approaches toward Beijing. Members of Congress also addressed the different approaches taken by European Union member states in managing their relations with China.
- Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) cited Spain as a concern, criticising Madrid’s decision to rely on Huawei for sensitive technological systems, including tools used for judicial wiretapping.
- Wilson questioned how policymakers could discourage technological partnerships that might create vulnerabilities potentially exploitable by Beijing.
Italy presented as a case of policy realignment. In contrast, Italy was presented during the hearing as an example of how European countries can recalibrate their China policies.
- According to Zeneli, “Italy has recalibrated its policy toward China by exiting the Belt and Road Initiative and strengthening its alignment with the United States and the broader transatlantic community.” The decision to withdraw from the BRI was described as one of the clearest signals of this strategic shift.
- At the same time, Zeneli noted, “Rome has strengthened its investment screening rules under its ‘golden power’ mechanism and has blocked or limited acquisitions in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, robotics, and telecommunications.”
- This approach, she suggested, could serve as a model for other European countries seeking to reduce vulnerabilities while maintaining economic engagement with China.
