Stefano Bianchini is Professor of East European Politics and History at the University of Bologna, Forlì Campus. He’s the Executive Editor of the journal Southeastern Europe (Brill). His latest book is Liquid Nationalism and State Partitions in Europe (Edward Elgar, 2017).Antonio Fiori is Associate Professor of International Relations of East Asia at the Dept. of Political and Social Sciences, University of Bologna. His latest (edited) book is The Korean Paradox. Domestic Political Divide and Foreign Policy in South Korea (Routledge, 2019).

• AcknowledgmentsList of ContributorsList of Maps, Tables and FiguresList of Abbreviations1. Introduction: Reshaping International Norms andState models? China and Russia’s New Role in the World ArenaStefano Bianchini and Antonio FioriPart I: Managing State-Society Relations in Russia and China2. In Search of “New Roots”: Towards a Situational Ideology in Putin’s RussiaMarco Puleri3. Towards the “Great Rejuvenation”: State Nationalism, Shifting Identities, and Foreign Policy Choices in Contemporary ChinaAndrea Passeri4. Reframing Human Rights in Russia and China: How National Identity and National Interests Shape Relations with, and the Implementation of, International LawMarco Balboni and Carmelo Danisi5. The Emerging Influence of the Chinese Strong-State ModelMingjiang Li and Mahalakshmi Ganapathy6. Envisioning the Russian Welfare State Model: The New Political Economy of Gender and the Labour MarketRosa Mulè and Olga Dubrovina7. Reshaping the Strong-State Model: Dmitrii Medvedev’s “Failed Modernisation”Evgeny Mironov8. State and Social Protests in ChinaYongshun Cai9. Migration Flows Between Russia and China: Legal and Social ImplicationsVasil SakaevPart II: China and Russia in the Changing World: Opportunities and Sources of Competition10. Global Shocks, Regional Conflicts and the Quest for Stable Prosperity: Which Way Forward for China and Russia?Eugenia Baroncelli11. NATO-Russia Relations through the Prism of Strategic CultureSonia Lucarelli and Nicolò Fasola 12. The Western Decline, Multipolarity and the Challenges of Identity in the Making of Russian Foreign PolicyStefano Bianchini 13. BRICS and Development Alternatives: Russia and ChinaStanislav Tkachenko14. Engaging with European (Dis-)Integration. Russia in dialogue with Europe/sMarco Puleri 15. Looking at the EU from the Russian and Chinese PerspectivesVitaly Kozyrev 16. The Fight Against Human Trafficking in the European Union and RussiaMarco Borraccetti Part III: Russia and China in Contested Regional Theatres: Some Case Studies17. The Disputed Ukrainian KnotFrancesco Privitera18. Central Asia in China’s Energy StrategyAntonio Fiori19. The Convergence of Differences: Russia and China in the Middle East and North AfricaMassimiliano Trentin20. The Chinese Penetration in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of TanzaniaArrigo Pallotti21. Relations with the West: The Case Study of the EEC-USSR, as Viewed by the Community (1950-1991) Giuliana Laschi22. Postface: Europe’s Response to Challenges from China and RussiaMichael Leigh23. Concluding RemarksStefano Bianchini and Antonio FioriIndex