Rise of China and Russian-Chinese Rapprochement
By the mid-2010s China has continued to impress the world with high economic dynamics, major achievements in social transformation, development of science and technology. The fifth generation of Chinese leaders is determined to offer the country a serious update that signifies, as authors believe, a transition to a new stage of evolution. This stage is characterized by accomplishment of modernization and transition to intensive development, consumer, techno-scientific and ecological revolution. Global economic expansion is an integral part of the new reality. China's global expansion is of complex nature including credit and overseas investment. Initially it was started by the state after accession to WTO and becomes both more intensive and natural with accomplishment of modernization. At the same time, Beijing stresses the need of self-reliance, particularly in technology. Although in new century China's expansion to the growing extent was based on economic and market forces including prospering population, by the mid-2010s it met sharp opposition in the West, notably, the US. That confirmed the notion of emerging new bipolarity in international relations. Moving closer to China, Russia reacted peacefully to Chinese expansion, moreover, a vision of deepening mutual interaction has formed at the political level. This interaction includes multilateral format including countries of Central Asia, interconnection of Eurasian Economic Union with the “Belt and Road” Initiative.