South Africa walks a tightrope of international alliances - it needs Russia, China and the west

China's President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin cement bonds at the Kremlin in March. Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images.

Relations between the People’s Republic of China and Russia on one hand and the west, specifically the US, on the other have become increasingly tense in recent times. For the US, China and Russia represent authoritarian regimes. For China, the US is the source of global insecurity.

With a few exceptions like France and the UK, the west sees the presence of Russia and China in the BRICS bloc (which also includes Brazil, India and South Africa) as contaminating the entire bloc as well as their relations with the individual BRICS member countries. This is especially so for the US.