In his lightning trip to Beijing on February 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a “Strategic Partnership” treaty with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The event coincided with the 20th anniversary of another “Strategic Partnership” deal that he had signed in 2002, with then US President George W Bush.
So, did the Beijing signature represent a reversal of course in Russian foreign policy that, since Russia’s admission into the G7 club (later G8), had been focused on forging closer ties with the United States?
