Since 1996, China and Russia have been united in what both call a "strategic partnership." Although the relationship is currently strong, the future is quite uncertain, because the relationship has never been as solid as it seemed, nor as dangerous. Some scholars strongly doubt the strategic nature of the China-Russia partnership and take a gloomy view of the future of this bilateral relationship, but it would be dangerous to conclude that the Sino-Russian strategic partnership is purely tactical, impulsive, and baseless. This article provides a roughly chronological historical overview of China's bilateral relations with Russia from 1949 to 2011, discusses the major foreign and domestic elements of China's current relations with Russia, offers case studies of incidents that illustrate these elements, and indicates the likely trajectory of China's future bilateral relations with Russia and the kind of foreign development pattern that will unfold.
