New Fact Sheet on the China-Russia Strategic Partnership
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) today released a new resource, “China-Russia Fact Sheet: A Short Primer on the Relationship.” This resource for policymakers, researchers, journalists, and the public examines the increasingly consequential strategic partnership between Beijing and Moscow and its implications for U.S. national security and strategic competition.
The deepening alignment between China and Russia has broad implications for U.S. security, economic, and strategic interests around the world. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, China has helped Russia withstand U.S. and allied sanctions and export controls by purchasing Russian oil and supplying dual-use goods that sustain Russia’s defense industry. Beyond Ukraine, the China-Russia partnership has become the central pillar of a growing authoritarian alignment seeking to erode trust in U.S. alliances and partnerships, weaken U.S. influence, and reshape the international order.
The fact sheet details China’s role in enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine, the two countries’ expanding military and technological cooperation, sanctions evasion, energy ties, and the constraints that continue to shape the partnership. Russia’s growing dependence on China has strengthened Beijing’s strategic position while allowing China to gain significant military, economic, technological, and geopolitical advantages without assuming the obligations of a formal alliance.
“As China and Russia deepen their strategic alignment, understanding the nature of this partnership is increasingly important for policymakers and the American public,” said Chair Randy Schriver. “This fact sheet provides a concise, accessible overview of how Beijing is leveraging its relationship with Moscow to advance its long-term strategic interests while reshaping the global security environment.”
“For decades, Russia armed China. Today the technology and the leverage flow the other way,” said Vice Chair Mike Kuiken. “Ukraine’s battlefields have become a classroom for the People’s Liberation Army, and the lessons are being studied with Taiwan in mind. Every month the war continues, Beijing’s strategic gains compound.”
The resource is available on the Commission’s website here.
More than 25 years ago the bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission began its work advising Congress on the economic, trade, and national security implications of the U.S.-China relationship, and providing recommendations to Congress for legislative and administrative action. Follow the Commission on LinkedIn and via @USCC_GOV on X/Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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