There is currently no basis to talk about the formation of a formal military alliance between China and Russia - MIDD

RIGA - There is currently no basis to talk about the formation of a formal military alliance between China and Russia, the Latvian Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIDD) said in its threat assessment and last year's activity report.

China's strategic foreign policy objective is to become a center of power in a multi-polar international system, while avoiding direct military confrontation with the US. China considers US global influence to be the greatest obstacle to its development and the pursuit of its national interests, and therefore seeks to weaken the US global position and alliance system, in particular transatlantic cooperation.

China-Russia relations are based on similar perceptions of the desired world order and the US as a common adversary. In the short to medium term, it is unlikely China will openly confront Russia, even under external pressure, the report says.

The MIDD reminds that Moscow's economic dependence on Beijing is growing: China is Russia's most important trading partner, with around 40 percent of Russia's foreign trade with China, while China's foreign trade with Russia is insignificant, at around 4 percent.

China sees an opportunity to flood the Russian market with consumer goods and import cheap energy from Russia. Beijing seeks to make a profit, while mitigating the risk of secondary economic sanctions, the report said.

There is currently no reason to talk of a formal military alliance between China and Russia. The two countries' joint military activities are mainly aimed at a show of force without real interoperability at the tactical and operational level, MIDD experts have pointed out.

China sees the Russia-Ukraine war as a conflict between Russia and NATO, repeating in its propaganda the Russian narratives about the "root causes of the conflict" and the "need to eradicate them". China has put forward several initiatives for a political settlement of the war, but none of them contain concrete proposals on the substance, and therefore they are seen as an attempt to create the illusion of China as a peacemaker, MIDD has pointed out.

MIDD is a state security institution under the supervision of the Minister of Defense, which carries out military counter-intelligence, intelligence and other tasks stipulated by the Law on State Security Institutions and other laws and regulations.