Russia is now commonly known as an all-weather friend of neighbouring China. However, it seems that the considerably good relation between these two countries, which they have been enjoying for many years, is over…

Moscow has shocked Beijing by suspending the delivery of S-400 missiles to the Asian Giant. Kremlin made an announcement in this regard earlier this week, after accusing Beijing of espionage. The concerned Russian authorities had found Valery Mitko, the President of St Petersburg Arctic Social Sciences Academy, guilty of handing over classified materials to the Chinese intelligence!

A senior Russian official recently said in Moscow that the resumption of further deliveries of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems to China would not be ascertained in near future. The official, who wished to remain anonymous, also said: “To a certain extent, we can say that it is for the sake of China. Getting a gun is not as easy as signing an invoice after receiving a weapon.” He added: “While China has to send personnel for training, Russia also needs to send a lot of technical personnel to put the weapons into service.“

Meanwhile, China has blamed other powers for egging Russia to make such a decision. However, Moscow rejected the claim, stating that the Russians were “worried that the delivery of S-400 missiles at this time will affect the anti-pandemic actions of the People’s Liberation Army and does not want to cause trouble to China”. It is to be noted that China had received the first batch of S-400 missile in 2018. The S-400 air defence missile system is known as the most advanced of its kind in Russia that can destroy targets at a distance of up to 400km and a height of up to 30km.

According to Political Experts, the changing diplomatic equation between Russia and China would be problematic for Beijing at the global stage, as officials have pushed China’s relations with the US toward the point of no return. With China engaging in a border tension with India, too, the Asian Powerhouse would be under tremendous pressure as far as its foreign affairs are concerned. Even, Europe has been maintaining a distance with China since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan in November 2019. In such a situation, it would be difficult for China to afford the deterioration of ties with Russia!

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das