JRL NEWSWATCH: “Weary Russia Tries to Avoid Entanglement in U.S.-China Spat” – Wall Street Journal/ Yaroslav Trofimov, Thomas Grove

June 22, 2020 JRL Russia List China, Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Far East, Siberia, APEC, JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“As its dependence on Beijing grows, virus-hit Russia seeks to walk its own line.”

“… With [Covid-19] … escalating the conflict between Washington and Beijing, Moscow faces a tough challenge: how to preserve its Chinese economic lifeline without getting dragged into the … looming clash. … In a way, it is a reversal of the dynamic that powered China-Russia relations after … Putin’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine triggered a break between Moscow and the West. … These days, Russia is a weaker – and, paradoxically, … more indispensable – partner for China, as Beijing clashes with … Trump[] … on issues ranging from trade to China’s role in the pandemic to the future of Hong Kong. …”