Putin went to China to participate in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit, seeking economic and political support of China. The United States suddenly raised the internet security issue that had cooled down recently to accuse the Chinese military; this has made some people scratch their heads: did the U.S. intend to push China and Russia closer together? The U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew in a recent visit to China specifically called for Chinese action to not offset Western sanctions against Russia; why did he even bother to do so?

During the May 20th regular briefing of the U.S. State Department, the Associated Press (AP) reporter Matthew Lee (Matt Lee) asked whether the U.S. Justice Department and the State Department in the end had any coordination between them. The spokesperson for the State Department Jen Psaki said: “Well, the State Department did receive advance notice of the law enforcement action. The United States routinely approaches foreign governments prior to unsealing indictments to request their assistance. The State Department is involved in communicating with foreign governments on these matters. This case was consistent with that approach so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.” Asked during that prior communication with the Justice Department whether the Justice Department agreed with announcing the indictment at the delicate moment of Putin's forthcoming visit to China and the upcoming U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, Psaki refused to give an answer.

Regarding the fact that the U.S. timing choice was "problematic", Matt asked the spokesperson further: “The Chinese and the Russians put out a joint statement today about Ukraine, which has certainly got to be disappointing to you, since you were hoping to exploit what was – what some people perceived to be as a rift between the Chinese and the Russians. I just don’t understand how someone in this building didn’t say to the Attorney General: This is incredibly shortsighted. If we must announce indictments of people that we know is going – that we know are going to infuriate the Chinese and make them less likely to cooperate, and at the same time we also know that we’re never going to prosecute them because the Chinese are never going to turn them over – I don’t understand how someone didn’t say: Wait, this is not a good idea; Putin is flying there right now; this is going to make the Chinese more willing to deal with him. And two, the S&ED is being – the Strategic and Economic Dialogue is being prepared right now. The Secretary and Secretary Lew are heading to China in six weeks. How is this not really shortsighted? Why not wait to announce these indictments, which you’re never going to be able to prosecute, until after at least the S&ED?”

Psaki did not know how to respond to the question, but had to say: “Well, we expect China to understand that these are a handful of individuals who have broken the law and that’s why (inaudible)…We believe there are a range of issues that we work closely together on”. When asked whether there are any concerns that Russia and China will form a closer relationship, Paski said: “Again, Russia should seek to establish good relations with all of its neighbors. Obviously, we have our own relationships with China and a range of countries in the region”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Shanghai. Following the talks, they signed a Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the new stage of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation between the two countries, in which many items are closely related to the current situation. The two sides stress that they will fully respect the other’s historical heritage, cultural traditions and independent choice of political system, values and development path, and that they oppose any attempt at interference in the other’s internal affairs; they agree to abandon unilateral sanctions as well as not to plan, support, finance or encourage changes in the other’s constitution system or induce the other to join a multilateral group or alliance. Both sides call on the international community to develop international cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit to jointly respond to information security threats, to develop a generally accepted code of conduct and uphold the principle of multilateralism, democracy and transparency. Both sides express serious concern over the ongoing internal political crisis in Ukraine and call on all parties to exercise restraint and through peaceful and political means to find solutions to existing problems in order to avoid conflicts in Ukraine to escalate in intensity. Both sides appeal to all regions and socio-political organizations in Ukraine to participate in a broad national dialogue to jointly develop the national constitutional system and further develop ideas in order to fully protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.

As can be seen, between China and Russia there are more areas of strategic consensus and strategic mutual trust than between China and the U.S. To some extent, this should be due to the U.S.-China mutual suspicion, the U.S.-Russia quarrel, and the U.S. offending both Russia and China. The two great powers working towards national revitalization are facing a squeeze from the existing great power and naturally have a more common language. Putin said during a joint interview with Chinese state media: “China is our reliable friend. To expand cooperation with China is undoubtedly Russia's diplomatic priority”. He went on saying that now the Russia-China cooperation has entered a new stage of comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and it would not be overstated that this cooperation is the best cooperation in the long history of exchanges between the two countries.

It is true that national interest is still the starting point for determining the relationship between countries. The national interests of China and Russia are not entirely consistent. The two countries are still wary of each other strategically and their bilateral relations cannot return to that in the era of Stalin and Mao.  But at this stage for the needs of their strategic interests, China and Russia will enhance the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a new stage and it is imperative. To some extent this partnership can be considered as a "new great power relationship" between China and Russia. Although this relationship is not a nominal new alliance, there are media which regard a China-Russia alliance a "done deal."

Clifford Gaddy, Senior Fellow at the U.S. Brookings Institution and author of Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, believes that the Obama administration’s ignorance will push Russia towards China. He said that Putin's position displayed Russia’s positive attitude towards China, which is a huge adjustment, not just an adjustment in words, but maybe also an adjustment in action.

During Putin's visit, China and Russia signed more than 30 agreements involving cooperation in automobiles, banking, energy and other areas, and this is the proof in action; particularly in the energy sector, the strategic cooperation between the two countries is becoming the symbol of enhancing the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The total value of four hundred billion U.S. dollars’ worth of Russian agreement to supply natural gas to China, which received the most outside attention, was finally signed at the end of Putin's visit to China.  The U.S. think tank, Council on Foreign Relation, commented right away that it marked closer China-Russia diplomatic and economic relations. The new U.S. sanctions list against Russia left Russia more distant from the U.S.