Russia’s Asia pivot: engaging the Russian Far East, China and Southeast Asia
Journal: SOAS Research Online (SOAS University of London)
Year: 2016

The Russia-ASEAN summit being held in Sochi on 19-20 May 2016 to mark twenty years of Russia’s dialogue partnership with ASEAN is a further indicator of President Vladimir Putin’s ‘pivot to Asia’ policy, triggered also by its current confrontation with the west. Through this pivot, Moscow wants to assert Russia’s geopolitical status as a Euro-Pacific as well as AsiaPacific power. It is a pragmatic response to the shifting of global power to Asia. It also builds on the growing Russo-Chinese relat