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Russia and China Working Together on Advanced Weaponry

Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping / Getty Images
August 26, 2020

Russia and China are now cooperating to create advanced weapon systems such as submarines and missile warning systems, the Week reported Tuesday.

"We are currently cooperating with the Chinese side on a joint project of a new generation non-nuclear submarine," Viktor Kladov, a director of Russian state-owned defense corporation Rostec, told Russian news agency Sputnik. "For now, it is too early to talk about the deadlines for the completion of works."

Kladov added that the Kremlin is working with Beijing on weapons with naval, air, and land capacities.

Sergei Boyev, CEO of Russian missile company Vympel NPO, corroborated Kladov's comments, telling reporters that "cooperation is proceeding in a planned matter." 

Boyev emphasized burgeoning joint projects between Russia and China to counter American supremacy in space. Currently, Moscow and Beijing trail America with the second and third largest satellite fleets in the world.

Such cooperation is not new to the Sino-Russian relationship. Last October, President Vladimir Putin said that Beijing and Moscow would work together on producing a Chinese early-warning missile defense system.

While Russia and China develop their defense relationship, the two countries have moved to ditch the U.S. dollar to form a closer financial bond. Meanwhile, Moscow and Beijing have also made individual overtures to Middle East actors such as Iran, Pakistan, and the Taliban to weaken American regional influence.

Russia and China's growing cooperation is "the most dangerous relationship on the planet today," Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow Thomas Joscelyn wrote last month.

Published under: China , Russia