The intensified cooperation between an assertive Russia and rising China can aptly be dubbed as two indomitable forces which are shaping the global political and economic landscape. Moscow and Beijing are preoccupied with strategizing the need to join hands for systematically challenging the dominance of the United States in the international arena. Though they are seeking to create new avenues of bilateral cooperation in strategic, political and diplomatic domains, yet the spontaneous alignment of their economic interests, in the backdrop of America’s protectionist policies and anti-Russian sanctions, stands out.
In his recent trip to Beijing, Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev revealed that Moscow has been considering to integrate Chinese and Russian payment systems in a bid to establish a stable global financial system.[1] Linked with this development is China’s National Information Center’s report on the evolving circle of friends in its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has ranked Russia first and Pakistan second in its Index of B&R Transnational Cooperation 2017.[2] Since Pakistan is already a strategic partner of China and has been experiencing a new surge of cordiality with Russia, an interesting question arises: whether the growing cooperation will transform into a Russia- Pakistan-China Axis?
