Alexander Clackson
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said recently that his
meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this week in Shanghai
marked a new stage in Russia-China relations, and that the two countries
will roll out all-around cooperation. China and Russia signed a $400
billion (237.1 billion pounds) gas supply deal on Wednesday, securing
the world’s top energy user a major source of cleaner fuel and opening
up a new market for Moscow as it risks losing European customers over
the Ukraine crisis. Furthermore, the two countries began joint military
exercises in the East China Sea in a clear show of strength against
Japan, a western ally.
The
Chinese President has also openly demonstrated his desire to create a
counter-alliance to the U.S. Speaking on May 20 President Xi Jinping called for
the creation of a new Asian structure for security cooperation based on
a regional group that includes Russia and Iran and excludes the United
States. Clearly pointing a finger at the United States he called NATO an
outdated thinking of the Cold War. According to him, “We cannot just
have security for one or a few countries while leaving the rest
insecure”. In his speech Mr. Xi Jinping offered an alternative vision
for the region based on an all-inclusive regional security framework
rather than individual alliances with external actors like the United
States. China’s proposal to push forward with the ambitious Free Trade
Area of the Asia Pacific met an especially chilly reception from the
U.S., which is focused on a 12-country trade agreement known as the
Trans-Pacific Partnership, which excludes China.