The normalization of Sino-Soviet relations in 1989 represents an important element in the evolving post-cold-war system of East Asian regional and global politics. Unlike the Sino-Soviet security alliance cum ideological partnership of the 1950s, the new relationship is both pragmatic and limited. The improved security atmosphere is evidenced by mutual force-reduction agreements and the resumption of military exchanges. Border and regional trade are an increasingly important element in the economic relationship, but centralized trade still predominates. Chinese leaders are very disturbed by the weakening of Communist Party control and the erosion of socialist values in the USSR. Political uncertainties in both countries, particularly in the USSR, require us to consider alternative scenarios for the future of Sino-Soviet relations. In any event, the relationship is less central to each country than in the past because of the altered international environment in the Asian-Pacific region.
