On December 26, 1991, the red flag of the Soviet Union slowly descended, symbolizing the disintegration of this vast superpower.
This historical moment not only reshaped the global landscape but also created unprecedented opportunities for China.
At this turning point, one name frequently emerged on the Chinese diplomatic stage: Boris Yeltsin.
As the first president of the Russian Federation, what role did he play in Sino-Russian relations?
What was his contribution that led some to believe he should be awarded a medal weighing a ton?
The dissolution of the Soviet Union significantly reduced military pressure on China's northern borders.
For a long time, Sino-Soviet relations were tense, with large military forces stationed on both sides of the border.
The collapse of the Soviet Union was like a giant balloon bursting suddenly, eliminating the need for China to maintain such a large military presence along its northern frontier.
This not only alleviated China's strategic pressure but also created conditions for the reallocation of military expenditures.
After Yeltsin took office, Sino-Russian relations showed marked improvement.
He adopted a more pragmatic foreign policy, willing to engage in rational dialogue with China and properly address long-standing border issues, laying the foundation for the normalization of relations between the two countries.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union did not happen overnight; it was the result of the infiltration of Western ideas, accumulated internal problems, and the failures of Gorbachev's reforms.
Yeltsin attempted to salvage the national economy by introducing a Western-style capitalist system, but this move actually accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union.
In the early days of his presidency, the Russian economy faced serious difficulties. To stimulate economic recovery, he implemented a radical economic reform known as "shock therapy."
This policy encompassed price liberalization, privatization, and financial stabilization, aiming to rapidly transform Russia into a market economy.
However, this radical reform approach led to severe negative consequences: economic recession deepened, inflation soared, many state-owned enterprises collapsed, unemployment remained high, and the wealth gap in society widened sharply.
A small number of individuals rapidly accumulated wealth through opaque privatization processes, while the majority of ordinary citizens saw their living standards decline significantly, leading to increasing social unrest and political instability.
However, Russia's economic difficulties also brought opportunities for China.
To fulfill military trade contracts signed with China during the Soviet era and alleviate economic pressure, the Yeltsin government decided to sell advanced weaponry to China.
Among these, the most notable was the deal for the Su-27 fighter jets. The introduction of these high-performance aircraft significantly enhanced the operational capabilities of the Chinese Air Force and laid the groundwork for its modernization.
On December 17, 1992, Yeltsin made his first visit to China as President of the Russian Federation, marking a milestone moment.
During this visit, Yeltsin made a remarkable promise: as long as China needed, Russia was willing to sell any type of weapon without restrictions.
This promise was like a timely gift, opening the door for China to acquire advanced weapons and military technology.
Yeltsin's commitment broke the technological blockade against China that had existed during the Soviet period, creating valuable opportunities for the rapid enhancement of China's military capabilities.
Sino-Russian military cooperation quickly accelerated, not only continuing to fulfill military trade contracts from the Soviet era but also including the sale of various advanced weaponry by Russia to China, such as BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and the Tornado multiple rocket launcher system.
More importantly, Russia provided not only finished weapons but also shared a wealth of technical data and design blueprints, laying a solid foundation for China's subsequent independent research and development.
Yeltsin also promised that once the Su-30 fighter jet was successfully developed, Russia would consider selling it to China.
This comprehensive military cooperation greatly expedited China's military modernization process.
To better digest and absorb the military technology and equipment obtained from Russia, China initiated a top-secret project codenamed "934," aimed at deeply researching and mastering the core technologies of Russia's advanced weapons, thus laying the groundwork for China to independently develop a new generation of weaponry.
During Yeltsin's tenure, the Chinese Air Force underwent a qualitative leap in its equipment, most notably with the introduction of the Su-27 fighter jet.
Previously, the Chinese Air Force mainly equipped second-generation fighters, which had a significant gap compared to advanced Western aircraft.
The introduction of the Su-27 brought China into the third-generation fighter era, greatly narrowing the gap with the world's advanced levels.
Building on the absorption of Su-27 technology, China developed its own series of fighter jets, the J-11 series, and subsequently successfully developed the J-15 carrier-based fighter and the J-16 multirole fighter.
These new fighter jets filled the gaps in relevant fields and further enhanced the overall combat capability of the Air Force.
In terms of army equipment, the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles and Tornado multiple rocket launcher systems provided by Russia also played a crucial role in the modernization of the Chinese army.
The introduction of BMP-3 enhanced the Chinese army's maneuverability and firepower, while the Tornado rocket launcher system provided important references for China to develop a new generation of long-range rocket artillery systems, ultimately leading to the independent development of the PHL-03 long-range rocket artillery system.
In naval equipment, the Yeltsin government sold four modern-class destroyers to China and provided advanced weapon systems, including supersonic anti-ship missiles.
The introduction of these equipments significantly enhanced the Chinese navy's long-range operational capabilities and maritime strike capabilities.
Through the study and assimilation of these advanced equipments, the Chinese navy developed new main vessels such as the 052C destroyer, laying a solid foundation for building a strong blue-water navy.
In addition to military cooperation, significant progress was also made in economic and energy cooperation between China and Russia during Yeltsin's time.
Although Russia's economic situation was poor at the time, this actually drove both countries to strengthen their economic cooperation.
Both countries signed multiple economic cooperation agreements, laying the groundwork for deeper cooperation later, particularly in the energy sector, where both sides began exploring the possibilities of long-term collaboration.
Although during Yeltsin's era, Russia's energy exports were still primarily directed towards Western countries, the seeds of Sino-Russian energy cooperation had already been sown, creating conditions for deep cooperation in the energy sector in the future.
It is worth noting that with the changing international landscape, especially after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Sino-Russian economic cooperation has deepened, and energy cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.
This trend of development can, to some extent, be traced back to the efforts to normalize Sino-Russian relations during Yeltsin's era.
In summary, Yeltsin's contributions to China's military development during his presidency were comprehensive and far-reaching.
He visited China four times, each time bringing new breakthroughs in military cooperation between the two countries, virtually opening the door to all advanced military equipment for China, helping it to break through the technological blockade from Western countries and accelerating its military modernization process.
Because of this, military experts even consider it not an exaggeration to award Yeltsin a medal weighing a ton.
Although this assessment may seem exaggerated, it undoubtedly reflects the significant importance of Sino-Russian military cooperation during Yeltsin's period for China.
China not only did not settle for merely importing and using Russian weaponry but also conducted extensive independent innovations based on absorbing and digesting advanced Russian technology.
Taking the Su-27 fighter jet as an example, after mastering the core technology, China independently developed more advanced series of fighter jets such as the J-11, J-15, and J-16.
In other fields, such as the development of the PHL-03 long-range rocket artillery system, China also demonstrated strong innovative capabilities.
These achievements fully prove that China is not only good at learning and absorbing but also excels at innovation and surpassing, with its military industry gradually transitioning from a "follower" stage to a "runner-up" stage, and in certain areas already achieving a "leader" status.
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