Find a Way to Hurt Them

My latest listical for National Interest takes a look at five potential areas of arms collaboration between Russia and China:

The continued deterioration of relations between Russia and NATO may not yet have resulted in a new Cold War, but it’s undoubtedly produce an environment in which Russia has independent reasons to try to hurt the United States.

While the arms trade between China and Russia exploded after the fall of the Soviet Union, shipments of major systems slowed in the early part of last decade.  Part of the reason was demand; China felt that it no longer needed to pay top dollar for Russian systems that it could build itself.  Another reason, however, involved Russian intellectual property concerns stemming from Chinese copying, and potential export, of Russian military systems.  This made Russia reluctant to export its most sophisticated weapons.