Sanctions on Russia

While China benefits from buying cheap Russian oil, weak demand and expensive oil globally is creating a large commodities supply gap for China.

Russia’s increasing use of the RMB and connectivity with China’s international payment system will struggle to mitigate the fallout of international sanctions.

Will tech export controls against Russia further strengthen Sino-Russian high-tech cooperation? At this point, it seems unlikely that Beijing will put its future on the line to back Putin.

In the short term, the tangible support that China can provide to Russia is limited, but the strategic implications are more profound.

Xi Jinping is watching Ukraine with one eye on Taiwan. The West must give him reason to think any invasion would be disastrously costly.

Russia’s pivot to Asia is instrumental for offsetting Western sanctions.

The recent Russia-Japan summit could be best described as embarrassment for Abe and a major coup for Putin.

A mutually beneficial 'balance of power' based on territorial and security arrangements remains beyond reach.

By warming up to Moscow, is Shinzo Abe playing right into Putin's hands?

Abe is committing a lot of diplomatic (and literal) capital to Japan-Russia relations. What will he get in return?

Japan's outreach to Russia is risky, as it could end up alienating the United States.

The deadlock is rooted in the entrenched positions of both sides.