Building Secret Undersea Tunnel: Russia and China’s Strategic Move Russia and China are reportedly getting closer with their partnership. In a recent development, business officials from both countries held secret discussions about an undersea tunnel. The tunnel will connect Russia to Crimea, a region historically part of Ukraine until Moscow annexed it in 2014.
Crimea holds strategic importance for Russia, as it provides the Russian Navy with access to warm waters. Moscow is committed to maintaining its sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula and has built ports and other infrastructure projects in the region.
The latest plan is to build a tunnel under the sea, but why? The Crimean Peninsula is connected to Russia by a 19 km long bridge that crosses the Kerch Strait. The bridge supports both road and rail traffic and is the longest built by Russia. However, since the war in Ukraine began, the Crimea Bridge has been targeted several times, cutting the peninsula off from Russia. Moscow has learned from these attacks and wants an alternative route into Crimea.
Reports suggest that China wants to play a role in this project. Ukrainian military intercepted emails between Russian and Chinese trade officials. One of these emails mentioned a company called CRCC, China Railway Construction Corporation. The state-owned enterprise is known for building some of the largest road and rail networks in China and is looking to expand its operations in Russia.
In 2021, CRCC worked with Russia to build three stations and nine tunnels for the Moscow Metro. This would be the first time China would enter Crimea, a region it has not supported as Russian territory. This step is a departure from China’s previous stance.
The CRCC represented China at the secret meeting, but the identities of the Russian officials were not disclosed. This is a new strategy adopted by Russia to protect its oligarchs from Western sanctions.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is still going on and building a tunnel during the war is an ambitious step. The tunnels required large machines and manpower, making the project vulnerable to attacks. Moreover, building an undersea tunnel would cost billions of dollars. The construction of the Crimea Bridge cost more than $3.5 billion, and the undersea tunnel would be even more expensive.
So, how will China benefit from this partnership? China could provide a loan for this project and receive Russian oil and gas in return. Additionally, China may insist on partial ownership of the tunnel. China has used this debt trap strategy many times before.
The terms between Russia and China are still unclear, but one thing is certain: Putin wants to secure Crimea at all costs.