Are Russia and China Military Allies?

Collaborative opportunities beyond arms sales & exercises

Beyond arms sales & Exercises: the future of Sino-Russian defense cooperation

From the 1990s to the 2010s, Sino-Russian defense cooperation has advanced primarily in 2 areas: one-way sales & licensing of big-ticket Russian items to China (e.g., combat aircraft, submarines, air-defense systems, precision-guided munitions, etc.) and joint military exercises. In recent years, while joint exercises have flourished in frequency and size, large-scale arms sales from Russia to China have tapered off as the PRC emerges as a developer of world-class weaponry in its own right. Moreover, there’s increasing discussion of China becoming a major supplier of defense-related goods to Russia. The following is a brief brainstorm of possibilities to deepen institutional & technological cooperation between the two countries, with a focus on opportunities that are mutually beneficial and high impact.

Non-lethal military aid

There has been much media hype about the possibility of China supplying munitions or …