Shunned by US and Europe, Putin works on making friends in the Asia-Pac

Hong Kong

BOXED in by the US and its allies, faced with an uneasy relationship with China and needing new friends and income, Russia is popping up everywhere in Asia.

A new strategic agreement with Pakistan. A visit by Vladimir Putin to India. Helping search for a plane that crashed off Indonesia. Coaxing Kim Jong Un to venture out of North Korea. In a region where some governments may be less squeamish about events in Ukraine, Mr Putin is surprisingly welcome.