Xi Jinping has Vladimir Putin over a barrel
Despite a show of comradely solidarity in Moscow, the two are not equal partners
As president xi jinping stood shoulder to shoulder with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, watching Russian and Chinese soldiers marching across Red Square on May 9th, they could have been mistaken for equals. The commemorations of the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in the second world war painted a picture of the two Eurasian neighbours locking arms against the West and the international order that followed that victory. Mr Putin boasted that their strategic co-operation was built on the “unshakeable principle of equality”. China’s president praised their “everlasting” friendship.
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