Washington, Dec 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) China’s rise emerged as a central concern in private talks between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Bush warning that Beijing posed the “biggest long-term problem” ahead, according to newly released transcripts of their meetings and conversations.
The records, released by the National Security Archive following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, span Bush and Putin’s interactions from 2001 to 2008 and include detailed memoranda of in-person meetings in Europe, Washington, and Russia, as well as telephone calls between the two leaders.
The issue of China surfaced as early as their first face-to-face meeting on June 16, 2001, at Brdo Castle in Slovenia, where the two presidents discussed the future of US-Russia relations, strategic stability, and emerging global threats.
During that conversation, Bush emphasised that Russia was “part of the West and not an enemy,” while also flagging China as a potential long-term challenge that would shape global politics in the decades ahead, according to the transcripts.
Bush returned to the theme in subsequent discussions, including a September 16, 2005, Oval Office meeting at the White House. In that exchange, Bush told Putin bluntly that “China is the biggest long-term problem for both of us,” underscoring Washington’s growing concern over Beijing’s expanding economic, military, and geopolitical reach, according to the transcripts.
“More for you,” Putin replied, signalling Moscow’s view that China posed a greater strategic challenge to the United States than to Russia. Bush pushed back, noting that while China did not share Washington's geography, its long-term ambitions would affect both powers.
The transcripts show that Putin consistently steered the conversation toward what he described as Russia’s more immediate security concerns — particularly NATO expansion and U.S. missile defence deployments in Europe — while treating China as a factor to be monitored rather than confronted.
At their final in-person meeting on April 6, 2008, at Bocharov Ruchei, the Russian presidential residence in Sochi, China resurfaced in broader discussions about future global power balances.
Bush warned Putin that China’s trajectory required long-term strategic planning and cautioned against underestimating Beijing’s ambitions, according to the transcripts. Putin acknowledged China’s rise but argued that the Western military infrastructure near his country’s borders posed a more immediate and tangible threat to Russian security.
The exchanges reveal that while both leaders recognised China’s growing influence, they viewed it through very different lenses. Bush framed China as a systemic, long-term challenge to the international order, while Putin saw pressure from the West as the more urgent problem, shaping Moscow’s strategic priorities.
The transcripts also suggest why Russia later moved closer to China despite underlying mistrust. The documents indicate that Moscow calculated Western pressure to be the primary threat, making engagement with Beijing a strategic counterweight rather than a reflection of shared worldview.
The National Security Archive said the newly released records offer an unfiltered view of early 21st-century strategic thinking, capturing how two global leaders assessed China’s ascent years before it came to dominate global geopolitics.
Source: IANS
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