Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged congratulatory messages marking the opening of the China-Russia Expo in the north-easten city of Harbin, highlighting deepening economic ties between the two countries.

Russia is importing more than 90% of its sanctioned technology through China, a sign of Moscow’s growing reliance on Beijing as Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine drags on.

The upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Xi will be followed by a Putin-Xi summit. Will there be scope for triangular diplomacy?

China has launched multiple satellites capable of similar maneuvers. One of these satellites, named TJS-10, is currently flying relatively close to a nuclear-hardened US Space Force strategic communications satellite and a US missile warning platform, according to an update this week in the Integrity Flash newsletter published by ISR University.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Scott L. Montgomery is a geologist who writes about energy issues. China and Russia have now given the go ahead for one of the world’s most consequential natural gas deals in a decade.