Sino-Russian Relations: Unlimited Partnership or Hierarchical Friendship?

In recent years, Russia and China have cultivated the image of a powerful anti-Western relationship. They have repeatedly emphasized their “No Limits” partnership and common opposition to  what they describe as Western hegemony. Nevertheless, beneath the surface of the diplomatic pleasantries, joint military exercises, and staged leadership summits lie deep incompatibilities and increasingly widening contradictions in several domains- territorial, geopolitical, economic, technological, and military. These historical fractures and grievances challenge the sustainability of their alliance while revealing their underlying rivalry.