The China-Russia Collaboration Tracker

From nuclear power to Arctic infrastructure - the joint projects from the past week.

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The China-Russia Collaboration Tracker

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, cooperation between China and Russia has deepened significantly. United by their shared interest in undermining democratic alliances like NATO, both countries are working to ensure Russian forces triumph in Ukraine. While China continues to deny supplying lethal aid to Russia, mounting evidence suggests that Chinese systems, especially UAVs, are increasingly being used against Ukrainian targets.

Beyond direct military support, however, the two nations are engaged in a growing number of economic and academic collaborations. These projects often serve to indirectly support Russia’s war effort by helping it circumvent Western sanctions and keep its scientists engaged in cutting-edge research with potential dual-use applications.

This post offers a snapshot of this evolving China-Russia relationship, based on developments from the past week reported in English, Russian, and Chinese sources. My research highlights new examples of collaboration across diverse sectors, ranging from nuclear energy to transportation to film. Particularly concerning are cases where sanctioned Russian and Chinese universities are advancing sensitive research while those same Chinese institutions continue formal partnerships with European universities.

For each example, I’ve provided context to help explain why it matters, with the aim of identifying potential targets for future sanctions, or at the very least, raising awareness among Western policymakers, businesses, and academic institutions. The sheer volume of developments just in the past week makes one thing clear: despite mounting Western pressure, the strategic partnership between China and Russia remains largely undeterred.

If you find this useful or would like to see more regular updates on this topic, let me know in the comments.

Let’s take a look.