“ALLIES”: Beijing and Moscow Go From ‘No Limits’ Friendship to Frenemies in Russia’s Backyard.

When Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met on Wednesday in Kazakhstan a day ahead of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political and security bloc, both sides praised the state of their bilateral ties. Their relationship was “not directed against anyone,” said Putin, according to the Kremlin readout. Chinese state news agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying that both sides should uphold “the unique value of China-Russia relations” given what he called an “international situation fraught with turbulence.”

But in Central Asia, which Moscow regards as its backyard, the friendship that both have declared as having “no limits” is colliding with Beijing’s global ambitions.

China has seized on the Ukraine invasion to chip away at traditional Russian spheres of influence. In Central Asia, as in the Arctic, Moscow’s reliance on Beijing to sustain its war machine forces it to acquiesce to the encroachments.

Across the strategically situated region, Beijing is drawing local economies into its orbit. Chinese investments are diverting the region’s young workers away from Russia. A Chinese-funded railroad promises to connect it with Europe, bypassing Russian territory. Chinese renewable energy projects are helping reduce its reliance on Russian gas.

Putin chose… poorly.