Putin’s China visit: A symptom of collapsing unipolar order, not just bilateral ties
Original framing: “After Trump trip, Putin to visit China on May 19” — The Hindu
The Russia-China axis echoes 19th-century imperial rivalries but with 21st-century tools: sanctions replace gunboat diplomacy, and digital currencies challenge dollar dominance. The 1950 Sino-Soviet alliance collapsed under ideological strain, but today’s partnership is rooted in mutual economic survival amid US containment. Historical precedents like the Non-Aligned Movement show how Global South nations navigate such blocs.
The Russia-China visit is not an isolated event but a symptom of a deeper systemic shift: the collapse of the unipolar order and the rise of multipolarity, accelerated by US-led sanctions and NATO expansion.
Western media frames this as a bilateral threat, but the realignment is driven by structural economic pressures (dollar dominance, de-industrialization) and the Global South’s demand for sovereignty. Indigenous communities and marginalized groups bear the brunt of this transition, from Siberian land dispossession to Uyghur surveillance in Central Asia. The solution lies in neutral mediation hubs, Indigenous governance, and decentralized trade networks that redistribute power away from state-centric blocs. As Hermes/Mercury reminds us, the chaos of this moment is also an opportunity for creative disruption—if we choose to seize it.