Russia asserting itself more in Asia-Pac in growing partnership with China

VLADIMIR Putin and Xi Jinping deepened bilateral ties in Vladivostock on Tuesday at the Eastern Economic Forum. This week's conference, hosted by Mr Putin, represents an attempt by Moscow to assert itself more in the Asia-Pacific in growing partnership with Beijing with which it has a burgeoning bilateral dialogue over key regional and global economic and political issues such as North Korea.

The theme of the Vladivostock forum - "The Russian Far East: Expanding the Range of Possibilities" - underlines Mr Putin's big ambition. Not only did the Russian president meet the Chinese president, but he also engaged with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, and Indian Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu.

A key reason Mr Putin is putting renewed emphasis on the Asia-Pacific is that his relations with Western powers are generally so strained. This follows years of sanctions over Ukraine and Crimea; concerns over Moscow's alleged extensive meddling in a suite of western elections; plus the attempted murder in England of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter which has been widely blamed, internationally, on Moscow.