China is now a major power in the international system. One axiom of the realist theory on international politics is that states will acquire power to ensure their own position and security within the system. One effective way major, or Great Powers, have done this is through alliance building. Historically China has not had much success in cultivating long-standing alliances; however cooperation between it and its neighbor Russia have deepened. This paper, using structural and defensive realism as theoretical frameworks on how and why states form alliances, explores the potential for a sustainable Chinese-Russian military alliance. 

China, Russia, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, alliances, realism, defensive realism. Collective Security Treaty Organization, United States, Great Power

James MacHaffie