Russia’s China Energy Lifeline Is Becoming a Noose

The recent summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ending on 20 May raised more questions than answers for many observers, probably including Putin himself. There was the standard announcement of several deals signed to boost cooperation in matters of the economy, trade, education, science, and technology. And there was the release of the usual document denouncing the current global hegemony associated with the U.S.-led Western alliance (47 pages worth, snappily entitled the Joint Declaration…