MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities have reached the same conclusion as the Russian leadership that a long-term competition with the United States is inevitable, while cooperation between Moscow and Beijing continues to expand at this background, Vassily Kashin, head of the Russian Higher School of Economics’ Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, told the Valdai Discussion Club on Wednesday.
"The Chinese side has reached approximately the same conclusions regarding the nature of its relations with the US as Russia did in 2014 (after relations with western countries deteriorated amid the Ukrainian crisis - TASS)," Kashin pointed out. "Chinese colleagues can often be heard saying that a bipartisan consensus emerged in the US about the relations with China and that a policy of tough pressure on Beijing will be continued irrespective of any domestic political changes in Washington."
According to the expert, China continues to attempt agreeing a temporary "ceasefire" in trade wars with the Americans, realizing at the same time that it is unlikely to be a long-term one. Moreover, Kashin believes that possible trade agreements will not involve other aspects of bilateral relations, which means that the US will continue applying pressure on China regarding such issues as high-tech, militarization, human rights as well as the issues of Taiwan and the Xinjiang autonomous territory where the Uyghur people live.
"We are witnessing exacerbation of other conflicts," he continued. "It is interesting that the issues of espionage and investigations have been lifted to a political level. This is precisely what was happening in the US-Russian relations a few years ago."
The expert underlined that worsening relations with the US prompt China to engage more closely with Russia. "A new stage of our cooperation in the military sphere began in 2018 and is possibly continues even now. We can even sign a new extended agreement on military cooperation before the end of the year," Kashin stressed.