Policy of the People’s Republic of China in the Black Sea Region
(1976 - 2022)

Lyu Syuiyan PhD in History Postgraduate student of the Department of Theory and History of International Relations of People's Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 6 lxy516871@mail.ru

IntroductionThe People's Republic of China, as the world's second economy, is expanding its geopolitical and economic influence around the globe.

The states of Central Asia, Africa and Europe have already fallen under the "wing" of China. ^[1] The Black Sea region is not an exception from the list of strategically important for the PRC due to its advantageous geographical location and proximity to the main players.

As a geopolitical space, the Black Sea region can be considered quite conflictual due to the presence of interstate territorial disputes (MTS) that have been going on for a long time: the conflict in the Donbas, the Georgian-South Ossetian and Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, the war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. However, despite the high concentration of MTS, the Black Sea region is a strategically important region due to the presence of straits The Bosphorus and the Dardanelles, ensuring the availability of cargo transportation from the Black Sea to the Marmara and Aegean and back. Moreover, it is important to note the military importance of the region due to its favorable geographical location.

Based on the problem of high conflict in the region, it is necessary to identify the causes of such a situation, analyze the political and economic relations of the PRC with the countries of the Black Sea region, and characterize China's strategy in relation to this region.

This study is based on the theory of political realism, which characterizes international relations as a rivalry of states defending their national interests.

In the process of studying, the author applies institutional, analytical and problem-chronological methods.

Conflict of the Black Sea regionAs previously stated, the Black Sea region is a region of increased conflict, often these conflicts or even hostilities occur with the direct or indirect participation of the Russian Federation.

The Black Sea region is both a gateway connecting Europe with Asia and a "chessboard" on which regional actors defend their national interests. The conflict nature of the region can just be described by its importance, both logistical and military.^[2]

Do not forget that during the Cold War, this region was the line of contact between NATO and the USSR with its allies.

Speaking about NATO, it is worth noting the main goals of the creation of this organization: ensuring the collective security of the member states by political and military means and countering potential threats emanating from the USSR. The borders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed in 1949 were a political, economic and ideological border separating the states of the collective West and the USSR from the bloc of socialist countries of Eastern Europe. The geography of NATO's expansion confirms the previously indicated idea: Turkey, which joined NATO in 1952, directly bordered the Armenian and Azerbaijani SSR as part of the USSR (now the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan), medium- and shorter-range missiles placed on its territory, directly threatening the USSR, provoked the Caribbean crisis, which put the world on the brink of World War III wars.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the ATS, NATO began its rapid expansion to the borders of the Russian Federation. In 2004, former members of the ATS and the republics of the USSR joined NATO: Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. It is worth focusing on the Baltic states, which were previously republics within the USSR, now having a land border with the Russian Federation in the immediate vicinity of the federal city of St. Petersburg.

The years 2007-2008 became significant in relations between Russia and NATO due to the accession of Croatia and Albania to NATO, the war between Russia and Georgia, the Munich speech of Vladimir Putin, which was an invisible watershed between the organization and the Russian Federation.

However, it is not only NATO that acts as a "bone of contention" in the region. Do not forget about the conflicts that broke out in the former Soviet republics, which complicated relations between parts of a previously unified state.  An example of a conflict in the Black Sea region can serve as instability in Georgia, which has developed into a full-fledged war with the participation of Russia.

To understand the essence of the conflict, popularly called the "08.08.08 war", and the impact on the situation in the region, it is necessary to trace its history from the very beginning: Back in the late 1980s, the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and the autonomous region of South Ossetia, with the weakening of the central government of the USSR, declared their independence from Georgia, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and Georgia gained independence, clashes began between Georgian troops and units of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. With the direct assistance of the Russian Federation, the conflict was extinguished, however, for a while. In 2008, it broke out again: Georgian troops attempted to use force on two regions, but were defeated due to the participation of Russian armed forces. In just 4 days, Russian troops completely liberated the territory of unrecognized states and crossed the border with Georgia, and on August 16, the fighting ended with a complete victory of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

It is important to understand that NATO and, first of all, the United States did not stand aside, they took an active part in the construction and modernization of the Georgian armed forces: Back in the early 2000s, the United States conducted the "Sustainability and Stability Operations" program, the purpose of which was to bring the Georgian army to NATO standards, which, in fact, was completed by 2008, according to Mikhail Saakashvili. This policy of the United States was one of the reasons that prompted Georgia to begin a forceful solution to the South Ossetian and Abkhaz problems.^[3]

The Ukrainian problem is similar to the Georgian one: close cooperation with Western countries, systematic approach to NATO, the Russophobic position of the ruling elites of the state. All of the above also exacerbates the instability of the region, the acute phase of which in the North of the Black Sea region began in 2014.

The Black Sea region as a new vector of China's foreign policyNorthern Black Sea Region

 Political relations between China and Ukraine began with China 's recognition of Ukraine 's independence on December 27, 1991 and the establishment of diplomatic relations with it on January 4, 1992 .

Political relations developed quite rapidly, but the Ukrainian government did not consider the Chinese direction as a priority due to its remoteness and its concept of balancing between the West and Russia. However, the activation of relations between the two states was promoted by the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who signed a declaration on the establishment and development of strategic partnership relations between the two states during the visit of CPC Chairman Hu Jintao to Kiev, which, of course, bore fruit: the growth of trade turnover between the two states is simply colossal. ^[4]

Even the coup d'etat and the rise to power of radical nationalists did not spoil relations between China and Ukraine. China, formally calling on all parties to the conflict for peace, did not terminate diplomatic relations with Ukraine, did not break economic chains. The PRC, speaking from a position of personal gain, did not give harsh comments on what was happening.

As for Crimea, the PRC has not officially recognized its entry into the Russian Federation, fearing pressure from the West. ^[5] China, having lost joint projects with Kiev on the peninsula, did not hurry to implement them already in the Russian Crimea. ^[6]

Such "resourcefulness" of China is quite clear. The PRC will not dare to lose its economic weight for the sake of any political benefits. China's economic independence and dominance both in the region and in the world forces other countries to conduct economic affairs with it, regardless of the position of the Celestial Empire. In confirmation of all that was said earlier, here are the statistics: the total trade turnover between China and Ukraine in January 2015 amounted to 599,871,091 US dollars, but in November 2021 the figure was 1,402,121,241 US dollars. ^[7]

Moreover, China itself is suffering from separatism: the Tibetan and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regions, which are the shortest route to Central Asia, advocate for greater freedoms or even separation from the PRC. In this way, it is simply unprofitable for China to support the separation of certain regions from Ukraine.^[8]

 Eastern Black Sea Region Relations between Georgia and the People's Republic of China, as well as with other former republics of the USSR, were established in 1992. Since then, economic relations between the two states have only been developing:

The trade turnover of Georgia and China continues to grow (in 2005, the total trade turnover amounted to 51,935,202 US dollars, and in 2021 – all 1,408,705,622 US dollars).^[9]

As previously stated, China does not support most independence movements in different countries. Georgia is no exception: China does not recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states and considers them part of Georgia, at the same time Georgia does not recognize the sovereignty of Taiwan. 

 The PRC calls on all parties to the conflict in Georgia: Abkhazia, Georgia, Russia and South Ossetia to resolve the issue peacefully, without resorting to violence.

We should not forget about cultural and humanitarian cooperation between the two states: the exchange of scientific knowledge and best practices, business forums, meetings of intergovernmental commissions and summit meetings draw Georgia into the economic trap of China. The Georgian economy does not go into any comparison with the economy of the Middle Kingdom, hence China has much more leverage than Georgia.

China, pursuing its policy towards the Transcaucasian Republic, occupies the niche that was vacated after the collapse of the Soviet Union, thus strengthening its position in the region. ^[10]

 Republic of TurkeyThe political relations between China and the Republic of Turkey originate in 1971 with Turkey's recognition of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate representative of China.

A new round of bilateral relations between the countries was the coming to power of the Justice and Development Party in 2002 in Turkey, which declared democratic principles of conducting foreign policy and openness, which interested China, because Turkey, being the gateway to Europe, has an excellent geostrategic position for China to enter the European market.

Tensions between Turkey and China caused by the Uighur issue persisted until the mid-2010s, back in 2009 Erdogan characterized China's policy towards the Uighurs as genocide, but in 2015 Turkey became committed to the "one China" policy. However, in 2019, the situation repeated itself: Turkey continued to condemn China because of the policy of assimilation of Uighurs. ^[11]

It is worth highlighting a pattern stating that warm political relations between Turkey and China clearly correlate with bad relations with Western countries and vice versa.

As for economic relations, it is worth noting that the trade turnover of the two states continues to grow: in 2002 it amounted to 1,631,465,848 dollars, but in 2021 – as much as 35,902,105,294 US dollars. Thus, the trade turnover between the two countries has grown more than 22 times in 19 years. ^[12]

Summing up all of the above, it is worth noting that despite Turkey's membership in NATO, contradictions regarding the Uighurs, China continues to increase economic cooperation with Turkey, essentially ignoring any political actions of the Republic.

Western Black Sea RegionRelations between China, Bulgaria and Romania began in the socialist past of the latter: in 1949 and fluctuated depending on the relations between China and the Soviet Union.

After the collapse of the USSR, Bulgaria and Romania, which were literally on the verge of economic collapse, needed stable trade relations, in conditions of transition to a capitalist economic structure.

After recovering from the economic crisis, both states began to establish their economic ties with their neighbors, who are the main exporters and importers of goods and services of Romania and Bulgaria. However, China, which is conducting its economic expansion, also occupies an important place. Romania's trade turnover with China increased from 581,381,024 US dollars in 2002 to 7,719,993,943 US dollars in 2021 ^[13], a similar picture with Bulgaria: from 138,491,920 US dollars in 2002 to 3,837,799,139 US dollars in 2021 ^[14]

China, conducting its economic expansion, does not pay close attention to the state's membership in NATO or other blocs, the PRC is gradually entering the European market and seizing it.

ConclusionSumming up all of the above, we can conclude that in the conditions of increased conflict in the Black Sea region, due to the advantageous logistical and military situation, the policy of NATO countries and the presence of unresolved conflicts stretching since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the PRC conducts its economic expansion, taking a favorable position of non-interference in the confrontation of the parties, for which there are reasons: China's assessment of the Black Sea region as a region that meets purely economic interests, fear of sanctions pressure and the growth of separatism on its territory.

^[15]

By leveling the collisions of the Black Sea states, China maintains favorable economic relations with all countries, taking advantage of the geographical location of the region and personal economic weight, literally forcing states to trade with China.

Moreover, the People's Republic of China, pursuing its economic expansion, is displacing the historical hegemon – Russia, which is clearly seen in the example of Georgia.