Friends Moving Apart? China and Russia at the United Nations
China and Russia continue to coordinate their voting in the United Nations, demonstrating a strong strategic partnership. However, data from 2018 to 2024 reveals a gradual decline in their voting alignment within both the General Assembly and the Security Council, according to Patrik Andersson.
Declining Alignment in the General Assembly
China and Russia still align their votes most of the time in the General Assembly, but their convergence has decreased from about 77% in 2018 to 67% in 2024. This shift is mainly due to an increase in opposing votes, where one country votes in favor and the other against. Additionally, partial splits—where one votes yes or no and the other abstains—have also become more common.
Consistent Points of Disagreement
Certain resolutions repeatedly trigger opposing votes between the two countries. A notable example is the global moratorium on the death penalty, where China votes no while Russia votes yes. This difference reflects their domestic policies:
- Russia has maintained a moratorium on the death penalty since 1996.
- China reportedly executes thousands annually, more than the rest of the world combined.
Growing Divergence on Humanitarian Issues
Differences have also grown in areas such as humanitarian arms control, including votes on cluster munitions and landmines.
"China and Russia continue to coordinate their voting in the United Nations, reflecting their close strategic partnership. However, voting data from 2018 to 2024 shows that while alignment remains high, it has gradually declined over this period." – Patrik Andersson
Author’s summary: Despite their close ties, China and Russia have shown a noticeable decline in voting alignment at the UN between 2018 and 2024, reflecting growing disagreements on key issues.