THE ROLE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA
https://doi.org/10.48137/23116412_2025_2_124
Abstract
In the context of the deterioration of relations between Russia and most European countries caused by the special military operation, our country is intensifying relations with a number of Eastern countries. The People’s Republic of China (hereinafter PRC) is becoming one of the main partners. This situation gives rise to a special interest in the existing experience of contacts through various institutions.
The article analyzes the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (hereinafter referred to as the ROC) in China in terms of its possible impact on both relations with Russia and the country’s identity, and concludes that the ROC plays a positive role in relations between the two countries. It is also taken into account that the Orthodox Church in China is an institution that influences the formation of a type of identity that is not typical for this country, which also allows us to talk about some principles of interaction in similar situations. The authors also point out some problems that hinder the development of Orthodoxy in China.
About the Authors
M. A. AvimskayaRussian Federation
Avimskaya Marina A. – сandidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Leading Researcher
Moscow
Ia. V. Shramko
Russian Federation
Shramko Iaroslav V. – Bachelor
Moscow
References
1. Deacon Alexander Polyak-Braginsky. Christianity in China: from the Time of the Apostles to the nineteenth century // https://sdamp.ru/news/n8233 / (accessed: 17.04.2025).
2. Ying Wang. The evolution of Orthodoxy in China of the twentieth Century // Bulletin of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. 2009. pp. 31-36.
3. Petrovsky D. Orthodoxy in China – history and modernity // State, religion, church in Russia and abroad. 2022. Vol. 40. No. 2. pp. 84-104.
4. Kissinger G. About China [trans. translated by V. N. Verchenko]. Moscow: AST. 2023. 640 p.
5. Archimandrite Innocent. The Russian Orthodox Community in China // Educational Journal. 1916. No. 10. pp. 684-685.
6. Afonina L. A. The Chinese Orthodox Martyrs of 1900: analysis of historical sources and Church veneration // Society and the state in China. 2017. S. 598-635.
7. 张 : 宗. 早期中俄关系史研究有新突破 // 西伯利亚研究. 2002. 页56.
8. Korostelev V. V., Karaulov A. K. “Orthodoxy in Manchuria” // http://orthodoxchina.ru/ (date of access: 21.04.2025 g)
9. Melikhov G. V. the Russian emigration in China (1917-1924 gg.). Moscow: Iran. 1997. 245 p
10. Theory and practice of Russian-Chinese relations: a monograph / ed. by A. N. Chumakov, Li Hay. Moscow: Prospekt. 2022. 352 p.
11. Smirnova I. Y. Orthodoxy in Western China and Central Asia: the background of the issue // Bulletin of the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Series: The History of Russia. 2023. Vol. 22. No. 1. pp. 47-56.
12. Shumakova N. I., Titova E. V. Artificial intelligence as an auxiliary tool for restricting religious freedom in China // Journal of Digital Technologies and Law. 2023. No. 1 (2), pp. 540-563. https://doi. org/10.21202/jdtl.2023.23
13. Jing Ch., Skotnikova G. V. The Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in China in the city of Wuhan: history and modernity // Proceedings of the Department of Theology of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. 2022. № 1 (13). pp. 135-145.
14. 中国宗教公共外交的发展转型与运行机制 // 国际展望. 2020. 页 85–160.
Review
For citations:
Avimskaya M.A., Shramko I.V. THE ROLE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN RELATIONS BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA. Post–Soviet Continent. 2025;(2):124-135. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.48137/23116412_2025_2_124