Evolution of international order in East Asia and its impact on Sino-Russian regional cooperation: An eclecticist analysis

Abstract

The two great powers — China and Russia — are important actors in the modern international system, and the foreign policies and bilateral cooperation of the two countries are key factors influencing the development of the international system. In the meantime, the development of bilateral relations is inevitably influenced by changes in the international order. Earlier studies focused on the impact of Sino-Russian cooperation on the international system but ignored the important role of the influence of the regional international order on cooperation between the two powers. This article intends to examine the trends in the evolution of the international order in East Asia in recent years and its role in the formation of Chinese-Russian regional cooperation. It is important to note that the author defines the components of international order as the hierarchy of power, the main ideology, and the institutional structure. In recent years, changes in the hierarchy of power in the East Asian international order are reflected in the emergence of a complex bipolarity between China and the United States. The evolution of the dominant ideology is reflected in the emergence of norms of political and economic integration in areas of great power competition and in the development of cooperation in the field of environmental policy in areas of great power partnership. The transformation of institutional mechanisms is expressed in the emergence of competitive institutions of multilateral cooperation. The evolution of these elements of the East Asian international order has a key impact on Sino-Russian relations. Taking into account the influence of these trends, the author sees the building of partnerships between China and Russia in the areas of regional security, finance and high technology, ecology, as well as interaction between the two countries through the creation of a multilateral cooperation platform, which will increase the level of bilateral strategic partnership.