China, Russia and Great Power Vaccine Competition

Analysis of geopolitical competition during the COVID-19 crisis tends to portray China and Russia tightly joined in an axis that aims to promote the superiority of their health diplomacy at the expense of Western democracies. In recent years China and Russia have been consolidating their strategic partnership but the COVID-19 pandemic has tested the limits to their cooperation and introduced a competitive element into their parallel vaccine diplomacy initiatives.

ISDP is honored to welcome Dr. Elizabeth Wishnick, Professor of Political Science at Montclair State University and Senior Research Scholar at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, as the speaker of this event. Since 2017 Dr. Wishnick has been a Senior Research Scientist in the China and Indo-Pacific Studies Division at CNA. Her book project, China’s Risk: Oil, Water, Food and Regional Security (forthcoming Columbia University Press) addresses the security consequences of energy, water and food risks in China for its Eurasian neighbors, a topic she explores in a related policy blog, www.chinasresourcerisks.com. In this webinar, Dr. Wishnick will examine the trajectory of the Sino-Russian partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting areas of agreement but also points of tension and competition, and draw some broader conclusions about the relationship.

Dr. Niklas Swanström, ISDP’s Executive Director, will moderate the webinar.