Washington. Donald Trump, who is going to become President for the second time after winning the US elections, has once again created a stir in international politics.
This time his target is the increasing closeness between Russia and China. Trump believes that if America succeeds in creating a rift between Russia and China, it will benefit America in global politics. Actually, news of a phone call between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has come to light. However, the Kremlin immediately rejected it. This conversation has given a new glimpse into the direction and voice of the relationship between them. According to the Washington Post, Trump spoke to Putin on November 7 and warned him to avoid escalating attacks in Ukraine. At the same time, he also reminded Putin that “Washington has a large military presence in Europe”. Whether this incident occurred or not, if any – even indirect – messages were exchanged between the two, it should be taken seriously by America’s Western allies and Russia’s key eastern partner, China’s Xi Jinping. There has been a lot of exchange of such messages in the last few months. Putin had given a long speech at the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club think tank in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on the day of the alleged phone call. Not surprisingly, his speech – and subsequent answers to audience questions – were anti-Western and he confidently stated that a new world order was now in “the phase of real construction”. But Putin also praised Trump, calling him a “courageous man” and saying he would consider any of Trump’s proposals to restore US-Russia relations and end the Ukrainian crisis. After this he talked for a long time on the relations between Russia and China. Here his focus was more on his old friend, Chinese President Xi Jinping, than on the new American President. The reason for this lies in a message from Trump which he gave to Putin and Xi. Trump told Tucker Carlson at a campaign event on October 31 that he would work to “separate” Russia and China. Trump indicated that the two are “natural enemies” because Russia has vast areas that China wants for its population. Russia and China have a history of territorial disputes over the long land border in Siberia. This was part of the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s, which preceded the beginning of US relations with China under then-President Richard Nixon in the 1970s. Unlike Nixon, Trump sought to reset US relations with Moscow rather than Beijing. It is difficult to imagine such a division between Russia and China today, but Trump’s desire to take advantage of disagreements between Russia and China cannot be considered completely unrealistic. Seen from the front, Putin and Xi Jinping appear very close to each other. But going deeper into the relationship between Russia and China reveals that it is primarily a relationship between their current leaders and lacks the depth of other alliances. There is a lot of resentment towards China in Russia among both the public and policy makers. The Russians are concerned about China’s growing role in Central Asia and potential conflicts along long-disputed borders. Many people are also angry that Moscow has now become Beijing’s junior partner. All these issues can be such that Trump can use to drive a rift between Russia and China, but a lot depends on what benefit Putin sees in this for Russia. Western countries should focus on what Trump’s Ukraine policy will be like and what effect it will have on Ukraine and the Western countries. Experts’ opinions are divided on this statement of Trump. Some believe that this strategy of Trump can be successful, while others say that the relations between Russia and China have become so strong that it will be difficult to break them. Only time will tell how effective this new move of Trump will prove to be in international politics, but one thing is certain that Trump has once again attracted everyone’s attention. Tags: China, Donald Trump, Russia, Vladimir Putin, Xi jinpingFIRST PUBLISHED : November 12, 2024, 23:42 IST