China and Russia, together with several neighbouring states, have consolidated their relations with the signature in Moscow of agreements to govern them in coming years. There was a noteworthy emphasis on a multipolar world in the China Russia declaration. As President Yeltsin put it: "Someone is longing for a single polar world. He wants to decide things himself". According to the Chinese news agency, the essence of the declaration was that "no country should seek hegemony, practise power politics or monopolise international affairs".
These observations are directed against the United States and timed to coincide with its project of NATO enlargement, which is due to be consummated at a summit in Madrid next July. It is a reminder that in today's world there can be no isolation for one region from another. NATO enlargement has consequences for China as well as for Europe; so also do east Asian security arrangements. Closer relations between Russia and China are an expected result of NATO enlargement, but it is not clear from this declaration precisely how far they will go in consolidating them. The Chinese foreign minister, Mr Qian Qichen, insisted that it is not an alliance; he talks of a partnership aimed at a strategic cooperation in the twentyfirst century.
Mr Qichen is trying to find a vocabulary to describe a new SinoRussian relationship that would transcend the confrontation which characterised it for over 30 years from the mid 1950s. The United States benefitted from this rivalry, although belatedly, since it did not develop diplomatic relations with China until the early 1970s, in the wake of the Vietnam war. It cannot be surprised to find that NATO enlargement is regarded as unsettling and destabilising by a new generation of reformist leaders in both Russia and China, irrespective of the great differences between their systems after the end of the Cold War.
It is too early to assess precisely how far they wish to push their co operation in protest against NATO's plans for enlargement. Clearly there is a lot of tactical manoeuvring being done to mitigate its effects, for example by limiting the positioning of NATO nuclear weapons in central and eastern Europe. The Chinese leadership has its own reasons not to antagonise Washington unduly as it seeks the development of more open trade and investment arrangements on a long term basis. But in the meantime, there is no harm in warning the US against hegemony and unilateralism by asserting China's community of interests with Russia.
Talk of drawing India towards them was reported from the margins of the summit in Moscow. And yesterday both states signed agreements with Kazachstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan which set up a new security corridor along their long borders and pledged enhanced co operation in other spheres. This is a welcome development, which has considerable potential in years to come. The Chinese said yesterday that it contains agreements by neighbouring Moslem states not to exploit separatism as advocated by Uighur secessionists in the most western province of Xinjiang - a useful achievement from Beijing's point of view, but one which would be more difficult for its neighbours to deliver.