Alexander Korolev is Senior Lecturer in politics and international relations in the School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Design, and Architecture, at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. His research interests include international relations theory and comparative politics with special reference to China and Russia, great power politics, and China-Russia-US relations. His recent articles have appeared in various peer-reviewed journals, including International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis, International Studies Review, Journal of Strategic Studies, Studies in Comparative International Development, Pacific Affairs, Asian Security, and other journals.

• Acknowledgments, 1. Introduction: The Elusive Nature of China–Russia Relations and the Need for Theory, 2. The Ordinal Model of Strategic Alignment, 3. Military Cooperation: Approaching Alliance, 4. Alignment Incentives: The Three Balances, 5. Robustness Check: Economy and Diplomacy, 6. Comparative Mapping: US–India and China–Russia Alignments, 7. Conclusion: Empirical Findings and Theoretical Implications, Index.