Historical Evolution of Strategic Partnership between China and Russia (1992–2024)

The object of this research is the strategic cooperation relationship between the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation from 1992 to 2024. The subject of the study focuses on the periodization of historical stages of Sino-Russian relations, the formation of institutional mechanisms, the evolution of strategic factors, and models of international interaction. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyze the key factors determining the development of strategic cooperation between China and Russia, as well as to explain how this bilateral interaction gradually institutionalized under changing international circumstances. To achieve this goal, the work examines the stages of evolution and institutionalization of the strategic partnership, analyzes its driving forces and limitations, and assesses the new model of international relations emerging from this interaction and its prospects. The theoretical foundation of the research is realism, while also incorporating elements of constructivism and institutionalism to analyze the interests, interactions, and cooperation mechanisms in Sino-Russian relations. Furthermore, literature analysis, case studies, and comparative methods are used to study the history, practice, and influence of the strategic cooperation between the two countries. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that based on domestic and foreign studies, the dissertation represents the first attempt to systematically trace the entire process of evolution of the Sino-Russian strategic partnership from 1992 to 2024 and highlight how external pressure has facilitated the deepening of cooperation mechanisms. Unlike existing studies, special attention is paid to the logic of institutional evolution and interaction under sanction pressure. The work concludes that the Sino-Russian strategic partnership has formed a complex cooperation system in political, military-security, energy, financial spheres, as well as within multilateral mechanisms. This system simultaneously reflects external pressure, emphasized by realism, and exhibits features of institutionalization and identity construction within the framework of institutionalism and constructivism. Despite the presence of asymmetry and potential contradictions, institutionalized cooperation and strategic trust lend stability and uniqueness to Sino-Russian relations in the modern international order. In the future, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia will develop towards greater complexity, innovation, and sustainability.