Washington should exploit cracks in the China-Russia partnership to curb their global push

Beijing and Moscow have forged a pragmatic, transaction-driven alliance that underpins their opposition to American primacy and promotes a “post-West” order, as reaffirmed at the BRICS meeting in New Delhi. While China supplies the bulk of technology and energy that sustains Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, the partnership remains uneven, with Russia increasingly dependent on Chinese markets and infrastructure. The United States can blunt this cooperation by imposing steep tariffs on Chinese purchases of Russian oil and gas under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, and by publicly calling out Russian aggression and Chinese acquiescence.

Highlighting disputes over Arctic claims, Central Asian influence, and African engagements can deepen mutual mistrust. Coupled with a revitalized coalition of U.S. allies, such measures aim to make the China-Russia nexus more difficult to maintain without demanding a full breakup.