UKRAINE AND MOLDOVA IN THE PRC REGIONAL POLICY

The rapid entry of the People’s Republic of China into the number of the most influential actors in the world political arena attracts close attention and causes interest of many politicians, researchers, scientists and the general public. China is currently a fast-growing state that has steadily demonstrated rapid growth of its economic potential in recent decades. That certainly provides opportunities for development of the political empowerment. China’s success in international affair is largely the consequence of its active regional policy. After the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on 26 December 1991, China was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of 15 new states. In 1991 and 1992 it established diplomatic relations with each of them. The PRC is at present pursuing a multidirectional policy towards all the CIS member states, in particular regarding Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. In this article the author examines the role of Ukraine and Moldova in the PRC regional policy. Based on the results of the analysis, it is concluded that the PRC attaches importance to Ukraine and Moldova in terms of economy and geopolitics.