[Atlantis]

Following a historic deal worth 400 bln for supplying Russian gas to China and for building new gas and oil pipelines between the two, there have been a number of other events to cement the ties between China and Russia.

China is the first foreign country to receive the advanced S-400 missile systems from Russia. The two countries are to jointly develop a military helicopter and start planning a joint moon basis. The two countries are also holding joint military maneuvers in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. The Chinese president was the guest of honor in Moscow at this year’s 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany and Chinese soldiers participated in the parade on Red Square. The Chinese government also decided to supply 25 bln worth of loans to Russia. The money is to go to Russian banks, which are cut off from the international financial markets due to Western sanctions, and to railway and agricultural projects. China is to build a high-speed rail link in Russia. Putin is now openly calling China a strategic partner and politicians on both sides are warming to the idea of a strategic alliance.

We will see numerous other signs of an intensification of relations between these two countries. And lest there be any doubt about the reasons for the new alliance: the Ukraine crisis and US belligerence are inexorably pushing the two sides towards closer relations.

Just in case some here still believe in the time-worn myths about why Russia and China cannot form an alliance, here is an analysis thoroughly debunking any and all of such myths:
http://www.theasanforum.org/the-strateg ... d-reality/

There can be no doubt that Russia and China are driven towards a strategic alliance as long as US belligerence makes good relations between Russia and the West impossible.

Other sources:
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/sozial ... 32957.html
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/r ... 33151.html
http://thediplomat.com/2015/05/china-an ... you-think/

[ThirdTerm]

Russia and China also signed a $400 billion gas deal to lessen Russian reliance on Europe and Russia's pivot to Asia is not surprising given the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Russia is blocked from doing business in Europe and North America because of punitive economic sanctions and there is an economic rationale to cozy up to Beijing. China is known for stealing Russia's advanced military technologies and Putin may not be entirely happy with the S-400 deal. But the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has announced four major financing initiatives increasing Russia's trade and economic cooperation with China and Russia is counting on China's financial clout to prevent the Russian economy from sliding into a deep depression.

[youtube]8WA1rP5WGfY[/youtube]

Last April, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved of the principle of selling the systems to China. As Zachary Keck wrote at the time: Despite the ongoing talks, some had felt that Russia would ultimately refuse to sell China the S-400 surface-to-air missile system for a number of reasons. First, there were reports that Russia planned to withhold all foreign sales of the S-400 until Moscow’s own military needs had been satisfied, sometime later this decade. More importantly, there were widespread concerns in Russian military circles that China would purchase a few of the systems with the intent of stealing the technology and reverse engineering a domestic version.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/04/sold-rus ... -to-china/

[Conspyre]

Will the World War 3?