Chinese vector of Peter the Great's foreign policy

The article is the first comprehensive analysis of Peter the Great’s role in the formation of the Chinese vector of Russian foreign policy at the beginning of the XVIII century. The contribution of Peter the Great to this process can hardly be overestimated. Through his activities, the first Russian emperor laid foundations for creating a unified Eurasian geopolitical and sociocultural space and formed the paradigm of the Eurasian policy of the Russian Empire. During this period, thanks to Peter the Great’s efforts, Russian-Chinese trade entered the phase of active development. The establishment of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Beijing marked the beginning of spiritual, scientific and cultural ties between the two countries. The policy of Peter the Great towards China on the whole was aimed at maintaining peace and good neighborliness between the two countries and tranquility on the Russian-Chinese border. The relevance of this topic at the present time is due to the steady pivot of Russia’s foreign policy to the East and the need for a deeper study of the history of Russian-Chinese relations.