Oleg Timofeev, associate professor at People’s Friendship University of Russia

China’s Belt and Road Initiative provides development opportunities not only to regional countries but the world at large. Cooperation between China and Russia should not be limited to the land Silk Road. Instead, Russia has every reason to partner with China on the maritime Silk Road too. Ports in Russia’s Far East have close ties with China’s northeastern provinces, while bilateral collaboration on the sea takes place frequently in various forms.

Though some scholars have claimed Donald Trump’s assumption of U.S. presidency may thaw U.S.-Russia ties, this will by no means affect the robust China-Russia relationship. On the one hand, cooperation between China and Russia has a solid foundation. The strong and comprehensive strategic partnership between the countries is wide-ranging and multi-layered and will not be adversely affected by potential changes in the international landscape.

On the other hand, Russia-U.S. conflicts have existed for a long time and cannot be resolved overnight. For instance, Russia strongly opposes U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense military system in South Korea, which poses a