The ‘no limits’ relationship between Beijing and Moscow has been portrayed by the West as an authoritarian pairing, which seeks to undermine the global rules-based order and challenge long-held liberal-democratic norms.
This ideological struggle has been trumpeted by US President Joe Biden and his Western allies to gather international support and form a coalition against the increasingly coercive Chinese and Russian regimes.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has only reinforced this division, validating the West’s concerns over a rise in authoritarian aggression.
But according to Dr Peter Lee, who spoke to Defence Connect for this article, the US should “de-emphasise” this ideology-based strategy when seeking to form an Indo-Pacific coalition against China. Lee is a research fellow, foreign policy and defence program at the United States Studies Centre.