More than meets the eye in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Asia trip

There is more than meets the eye in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent trips to North Korea and Vietnam as the exercise was not just aimed at signaling Moscow’s presence in Far East and South East Asia but also aimed at a subtle message to Beijing which has always desired a stable Korean peninsula and whose ties with Hanoi are far from smooth.

Moscow is keen to send the message that it is not a junior partner to China and that it has options in East Asia.

In a recent article in Australian Financial Review titled ‘Putin to Xi: I have options in East Asia’ Prof James Curran (Financial Review’s International Editor and professor of modern history at Sydney University) explained, “Xi may lament that alongside dealing with Kim Jong-un’s unpredictability, he now needs to factor in Putin egging North Korea on. Certainly it is not helpful when Xi has a full economic plate to consume. And Putin is clearly out to show his own power play in China’s backyard as Beijing’s strategic gains in Central Asia grow. By combining the North Korean and Vietnam visits – both of which he knows have difficult relations with Beijing – Putin is telling Xi that he has options in the East.”


China has long preferred a stable Korean peninsula as in its calculation a powerful North Korea disturbs balance in the region.

Prof Curran further wrote, “After being feted in Pyongyang and giving free voice to his crusade against Western imperialism, Putin then headed for Hanoi. It is worth recalling that Deng Xiaoping in 1979, during the break with the USSR, referred to Vietnam as “the Cuba of the East”.

“The old historical ties and longstanding Russian military support and aid are not forgotten in Hanoi. New endeavours arise from joint deals between the state-owned Vietnamese Oil and Gas Group and Russia’s Gazprom for exploration and drilling in the South China Sea,” according to Prof Curran.

It is no secret that China and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the South China Sea region where Beijing has created artificial islands. Ties between Hanoi and Beijing have been lukewarm historically. Russia has been closely observing China’s inroads in its periphery in resource rich Central Asia and Putin’s trip to Asia in China’s neighbourhood was enough to send a message to Beijing. Moscow has been keen that India plays an active role in Central Asia to balance China.

During Putin’s trip to Hanoi Russia in fact offered to help Vietnam develop nuclear power plants. During the visit Putin received a 21-gun salute at a military ceremony and Russia and Vietnam signed agreements on issues including energy.

Vietnam’s ties to Russia are close and go back many decades, extending vital military, economic and diplomatic support and Moscow backed Hanoi against Beijing’s dominance.