European Leadership Network: "Russia and China are on the verge of forming a new alliance"

The European think tank European Leadership Network wrote about the prospects of Russian-Chinese relations in the near future. Another blow to the Western community has been the rapprochement between Russia and China, which began in 2015 and is still ongoing. Despite the weakening of the global economy, Moscow and Beijing are becoming closer, reinforcing both economic and strategic partnership.

Russia and China are on the verge of forming a new alliance, a formal alliance, which will balance, if not outweigh the effect of the Euro-Atlantic cooperation. In recent months the two countries have signed a number of agreements on gas exports, favorable for Beijing, which has a huge demand for fossil fuels, and for Moscow, for which it is necessary to develop new markets in connection with the sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States. Next week joint Russian-Chinese naval exercises will take place, which will be a kind of show of the power of the armies of the two countries to the Western states. The Silk Road project is also a promising area of cooperation between Russia and China.

In addition to the expansion of economic ties, Beijing plans to send troops to Syria to fight international terrorism. It is obvious already that China will join Russia, but not the Western coalition, the efforts of which have not yielded any tangible results over the past year.

Relations between the countries are strengthened through the strategically correct steps of the Kremlin, which managed to win such a partner as China. Representatives of the Western powers are concerned that in this way, despite all the tricks, the European Union and the United States will lose world leadership, giving it to Russia and China, which in spite of the numerous obstacles put in their way by the Western leaders were able to strengthen their existing ties.

The US publication Foreign Policy wrote that the confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia has been caused by Washington. Despite the long-standing rivalry between Tehran and Riyadh, the conflict gaining momentum since the beginning of 2016 is due to the fact that the USA entered into a nuclear deal with Iran, ignoring the interests of Saudi Arabia.

The leaders of Saudi Arabia are well aware that, after the execution of the preacher Nimr al-Nimr, Tehran's reaction would follow immediately. Why has Riyadh exactly now decided to make such a move? Most likely this action was a signal to Washington, cooperation with which has come to naught due to the recent rapprochement with Iran after the conclusion of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

The administration of Saudi Arabia at the time made every effort to convince its allies in the Persian Gulf that the alliance with Iran should not take place. However, the agreement was signed, and it caused aggression on the part of Riyadh. In Saudi Arabia it is believed that Tehran, along with its partner Moscow, is undermining the interests of the countries of the Persian Gulf, and Washington is not doing anything to prevent it.

How the events will develop further is still unknown. The US is not in a hurry to take either side, despite an active role in the outbreak of the conflict. Most likely the confrontation will continue, which may adversely affect not only the Middle East, but also the world community as a whole.