China has only one formal military ally, North Korea, under a mutual defense treaty, but maintains strong strategic partnerships with countries like Russia, Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asian nations through organizations like SCO and BRICS, focusing on economic ties, shared opposition to U.S. influence, and coordinated foreign policy rather than formal alliances. While not allies, many nations, particularly developing ones, rely heavily on China as their top trading partner, fostering close economic relationships.
RCEP. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a free trade agreement between the Asia-Pacific nations of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Large majorities of the public in China consider Russia (83%) and North Korea (76%) as their country's friend. They also view the Taiwanese people (91%)—but much less so the Taiwanese government (44%)—as friendly.
The eight nations, namely Britain, the United States, Japan, Russia, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy, formed a coalition against China, which became known as the “Eight-Nation Alliance”. On 14 August, the alliance entered Beijing and engaged the Boxers in urban warfare for two days.
Key Points: The major China trade partners include the United States, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Russia, and Australia. Based on China trade data, the trade surplus significantly expanded, with a record surplus of $1.14 trillion for the first half of 2025.
In 2021, Russian Federation major trading partner countries for exports were China, Netherlands, Germany, Turkey and Belarus and for imports they were China, Germany, United States, Belarus and Korea, Rep..
China's "0.1% rule" refers to its October 2025 export controls, requiring licenses for foreign products containing ≥0.1% by value of certain Chinese-origin rare earths or made with controlled Chinese rare earth tech, extending China's jurisdiction extraterritorially to high-tech supply chains like EV magnets and AI chips, impacting global industries by giving Beijing leverage over critical materials. This "de minimis" rule creates significant compliance burdens for foreign firms, potentially halting supply of advanced tech.
Russia and China officially declared their relations "Not allies, but better than allies". Russia recognizes Taiwan as an integral part of China, and supports Chinese unification. Russia also supports China's policies in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang.
Japan was polled to have the most anti-China sentiment, where 93% saw the People's Republic in a negative light.
“NATO is the most powerful defense alliance in world history. It is even more powerful than the Roman Empire and more powerful than Napoleon's empire,” Rutte said at a press conference ahead of the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.
Economic relations
Germany is China's biggest trading partner and technology exporter in Europe. During much of the 2000s and 2010s, China and Germany had highly complementary economies, with Germany supplying industrial machinery to China.
The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) is an organisation established in 1965 to promote understanding and friendship between British and Chinese people. The organisation has no political affiliation and is open to all who are interested in China and its peoples.
Relations worsened during the 2010s over concerns including China's militarization of the South China Sea and Chinese espionage in the United States, leading observers to speculate a Second Cold War between the two powers. In 2018, President Donald Trump launched a trade war with China.
Most Powerful Countries 2026
China is a critical trading partner for the United States, but it is also a major competitor. China's harmful and unfair economic practices, including trade in illicit goods, use of forced labor, and theft of sensitive technologies pose risks to U.S. economic interests.
Russia is China's most important military partner, and their relationship serves many of China's interests, such as signaling strategic unity against the United States, undermining U.S. se- curity partnerships, practicing combat-relevant military skills, and obtaining advanced technology.
The threat comes from the programs and policies pursued by an authoritarian government. The Chinese government is employing tactics that seek to influence lawmakers and public opinion to achieve policies that are more favorable to China.
The PRC claims the de jure administration of Taiwan Province, as well as mainland-nearby islands of Kinmen and Matsu Islands, currently controlled by the Republic of China (ROC).
While there's no single "best friend," China is Russia's most crucial strategic partner, especially economically and politically, described as "friends of steel," with strong military and trade ties. Belarus is considered the closest ally in the post-Soviet space, while India, North Korea, Iran, and Turkey also feature prominently as key friends or partners, often united by shared geopolitical interests or opposition to Western influence.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, with Vladimir Putin in 2002. Despite a number of economic disputes in the mid-2000s, Belarus has remained one of Russia's closest allies.
China's "3-hour rule" for minors restricts children under 18 to playing online video games for only three hours per week, specifically from 8 PM to 9 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, to combat gaming addiction and improve health. Implemented by the National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) in 2021, the rule mandates gaming companies use real-name verification and facial recognition to enforce limits, though some children bypass it using adult accounts.
Google has a difficult history in China. The company pulled its search engine out of China in 2010 because of government censorship and what the company said was a cyberattack from Chinese hackers trying to gain access to human rights activists' email accounts.
Residents are subject to individual income tax on their worldwide income. Non-residents are generally taxed only on their China-sourced income. For the rates applied on non-residents' income derived from employment, remuneration for labour services, author's remuneration, and royalties, see the table above.