The balance of power in the Russia-China relationship has evolved to the point that Beijing is now the dominant partner and the primary threat to the United States, according to US Congressman Pat Fallon.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute during a discussion about the first year of US President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, Fallon said while Russia and China have long had a strategic partnership, the world has now “seen that senior partnership shift”.
“It was clearly the Soviets. Now it’s clearly the Chinese,” Fallon, who represents Texas’ fourth congressional district, said while talking about the balance of power in the relationship.
“Look where we are today. China has roughly 11 times the population of Russia, and they have a GDP nearly on par with us, where the Russians economically are laughable,” Fallon claimed, adding that if Russia didn’t have the nuclear weapons it does, it wouldn’t be the player it is.
“Texas has a larger economy than Russia, which I guess makes me more powerful than Putin,” he joked.
This is a notable year for China-Russia relations, as it is the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership of coordination and the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation.
“China will enhance strategic coordination with Russia and support each other on issues involving their respective core interests and major concerns,” said Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defence, in a statement in January.
The two countries’ deepening ties were on show last week. Chinese President Xi Jinping held a video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the hours before speaking with Trump.
Moscow was given notice about the call between Trump and Xi, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
The calls came just before the expiration of Russia’s New Start Treaty with the US last week, which was a nuclear arms control treaty signed in 2010.
Speaking about Russia, Fallon argued, “their conventional force has proven not to be the tiger that we thought it was, or the bear, I should say, clearly China’s the greater threat”.
“There’s just no doubt, and that’s why there’s been a pivot to Asia,” he added.
Germany was once the country with the highest number of US troops, but now it’s Japan, Fallon said, reflecting how America has pivoted to bolstering its defence in Asia.
The discussion with senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, Rebeccah Heinrichs, examined how having allies geographically closer to China is critical going forward, as it allows the US to strengthen its defence posture.
In addition to having a large number of troops in South Korea and Guam, Fallon said he wanted to have more in Australia, preferring them there to California.
“That’s the threat moving forward,” he said of China.
“I remember as a kid at Thanksgiving circa 1980. On television, the commentator said the Chinese wish to be a superpower within the next 50 years ... Well, they’re 25 years early because they made it rather quickly.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
