Network
In the summit in 2018, Russia and ASEAN agreed to forge a strategic partnership.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the creation of AUKUS and QUAD-a four-side security dialogue involving Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S.
"All of this follows the line of eroding the universal formats in the Asia-Pacific Region which existed for the past decades under the auspices of ASEAN," the senior diplomat stated as cited in TASS on 2 October.
International relations expert Yusran told Media Magelang in an interview that Russia under Vladimir Putin continues to boost its influence and shares something in common with China aimed at maintaining a stable, peaceful Asia-Pacific.
"Russia has a good relationship with China and both have interests in maintaining stability in the Asia-Pacific. In my opinion, Joe Biden, the U.K PM Boris Johnson and Australia PM Scott Morrison need to address concerns and objections from several countries who fear that the pact will trigger a nuclear arms race," he said.
Despite the close relationship between China and Russia, it may sound unlikely for them to build an alliance given that both are competing to counter the U.S influence.
“Russia certainly doesn't want China to become too strong yet they also don't want Beijing so weak that the Americans can run roughshod over Eurasia. The goal is to create an anti-American bubble around Eurasia, the most populous, resource-rich part of the world,” Brandon Weichert said.***
