By Shannon Tiezzi
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is in Beijing for a visit.
As Ankit noted on our Flashpoints blog today, the U.S., Japan, and Australia took advantage of the G20 summit in Brisbane to hold a trilateral meeting where their top leaders promised increased military cooperation. While the three allies were getting cozy, two countries were on the outside looking in: China and Russia. China had to face barbs from U.S. President Barack Obama about perceived Chinese aggression in maritime disputes as well as China’s economic manipulations. Meanwhile, Russia remains at odds with many G20 nations dues to its role in the ongoing instability in eastern Ukraine.
China and Russia may have predicted that the G20 summit would not be the warmest experience for either of them – they seem to have planned ahead by sending Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Beijing at around the same time. The message is clear: China and Russia may both be more or less estranged from the Western powers, but they have each other. China and Russia have grown increasingly close, especially as Western criticisms of and sanctions against Russia pile up in the wake of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. The trend dates back further than that, however; in 2012, Shoigu chose China as the destination for his first trip abroad after assuming the post of defense minister.
Read the full story at The Diplomat