Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin behave like the best of buddies
But suspicion between Russia and China runs deep
ON JULY 21st three Chinese warships sailed into the Baltic Sea for China’s first war games in those waters with Russia’s fleet. The two powers wanted to send a message to America and to audiences at home: we are united in opposing the West’s domination, and we are not afraid to show off our muscle in NATO’s backyard. The war games were also intended to show how close the friendship between China and Russia has become—so much has changed since the days of bitter cold-war enmity that endured between them from the 1960s to the 1980s.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Unlikely partners”
From the July 29th 2017 edition
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China can greatly reduce its reliance on coal, but probably won’t
Even though solar and wind power are growing at a blistering pace
Estate agents in China are trying everything to sell flats
You can place your deposit in bushels of wheat or strings of garlic
The Chinese government is cracking down on predatory law enforcement
Extortion by local officials causes a lot of anger
Chinese hackers are getting bigger, better and stealthier
Experts say it is the main shift in the cyber-threat landscape in a decade
China is developing some startling new kit in its quest to seize Taiwan
It could land troops there more speedily than ever