Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

As The Duran’s Alexander Mercouris explains, America’s vainglorious and ultimately foolhardy attempt to create a divide between China and Russia has failed spectacularly.
Any remaining hopes that the US could cause a rift between Moscow and Beijing ultimately failed to understand that whereas the Nixon administration exploited an existing, substantial split between the two communist super-powers, Russia and China are now allies and no amount of sweet-talking (however patronising) from Washington could create a new Sino-Russian split in 2017.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Astana along with the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in a ceremony and conference welcoming India and Pakistan to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Putin spoke of the need for further cooperation on all matters of mutual interest ranging from trade to anti-terrorism measures. Putin’s speech which emphasised the need for unity between Asia and Eurasia and spoke of using the SCO as a means to help and better coordinate China’s One Belt–One Road trade project.

Vladimir Putin’s lengthy Q and A session at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum was filled with Putin’s typically thorough responses to major contemporary issues. However, while most people focused on his remarks pertaining to the situation in Syria and Libya, as well as the infamous non-relationship with Donald Trump, Putin’s most important remarks were largely ignored.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow to discuss a wide range of issues.
The two leaders have frequent meetings as part of Russia and China’s joined membership of the BRICS economic cooperation union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as well as discussions on China’s ‘One-belt–One road’ global trade and infrastructure project. The Russian organised Eurasian Economic Union also looks to play a major role in China’s future plans for modernising global trading mechanisms.

US President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, his agreement to supply Saudi Arabia with $300 billion worth of US arms, his implacably hostile rhetoric towards Iran, and the openly expressed intentions of Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to launch a pre-emptive war against Iran, clarify policy options for Iran’s leadership and people.

The anti-Russia brigade in Washington come in many stripes from the supremely stupid like Maxine Waters to the dangerously fanatical like John McCain. But they have one thing in common, they are not hurting Russia, they are embarrassing and reducing the geopolitical weight of the United States.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, a man the West tends to mock or underestimate, has just delivered on yet another of his promises: further cooperation and extended relations with Russia.
Two Russian ships, the anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Tributs and the sea tanker Boris Butoma, have sailed into Manila harbour on a goodwill visit.
The move is a sign of extended friendship between the two countries and could well be the beginning of ever closer relations.