A Sino-Russian spring

Sino-Russian ties reached a milestone yesterday when the neighboring countries signed a joint communique outlining a strategic partnership which could prove to be a counterbalance to the dominating role of the United States in the international political arena.

"The People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation hereby announce their resolve to develop a strategic partnership of equality, mutual confidence and mutual coordination towards the 21st century," read one section of the communique.

Political analysts believe that President Boris Yeltsin's trip to China came at a time when Beijing's relations with Washington are at a nadir, thus providing a starting point for both Beijing and Moscow to return their relationship to the level experienced during strong Sino-Soviet ties in the 1950s.

"Now spring's warmth has come to Beijing, the flowers are blossoming and you can feel spring everywhere," Chinese President Jiang Zemin told Yeltsin after the welcoming ceremony. "This is a good omen for the further development of our relations."

For Russia, the partnership bolsters its opposition to expanding the U.S.-backed North Atlantic Treaty Organization to include former Soviet satellite countries of Eastern Europe. It also helps placate its fears of a border dispute with China. The two governments are currently negotiating a plan to cut troops along the 4,300-kilometer border they share. They hope to reach an accord in the near future, though some in Russia's Far East feel China is gaining too much land at Russia's expense under their 1991 border agreement.

The 14 agreements signed in China can also be seen as Yeltsin's personal campaign to gain more support and trust from his people in the June 19 presidential election. Despite a recent surge in the polls, Yeltsin is still locked into a presidential race which includes several formidable candidates, including communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov and reformer Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

For China, the partnership is truly strategic, especially following the large flotilla sent by the United States to the Taiwan Strait while China was conducting live-fire military exercises last March. Beijing has roundly condemned the U.S.'s assumed role as world policeman given to patrolling the territory of other sovereign nations.

The countries of the Asia-Pacific region will be watching to see how Sino-Russian ties develop, especially given the free- market economic policies that both nations are pursuing. How a former communist country and one which still adheres to communist principles of governance will fare in the 21st century is of significant concern to security and stability in the region.

Both Beijing and Moscow were wise enough to declare that despite their pledge to cooperate in a new world order -- and join forces against NATO expansion and the hegemony of one superpower -- the cooperation is not an alliance that will pose a threat to any other country.