Russian Foreign Policy Toward East Asia in the Post–Cold War Era: A Geopolitical Perspective

Abstract

Russia’s foreign policy in the relationship with East Asia countries in the post–Cold War era can be summarized as follows. First, Russia recognized China as a key partner in this region and actively expanded its cooperation with China. Second, Russia maintained a defensive position in its territorial negotiations in the 1990s to expand economic cooperation with Japan but shifted to a firmer and more assertive position in the following decade. Third, Russia’s policy for the Korean Peninsula shifted from being pro-South Korea in the 1990s to an equal-distance policy between North and South Korea. Fourth, in the first decade of the 21st century, Russia started reinforcing its ties with ASEAN nations that had been marginal and secondary until the 1990s. To sum up, Russia’s foreign policy in East Asia and the Korean Peninsula aims to maximize its economic profits by using regional economic outcomes and participating in the process of economic integration and to control strategic instability by forming partnerships with neighboring countries and restoring its influence.