THAT OTHER SUMMIT: Putin, Xi signal unity but fail to reach deal on pipeline sought by Russia. “Amid the elaborate ceremony of a visit to Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday failed once again to persuade Chinese leader Xi Jinping to sign off on a major new gas pipeline, underscoring once again the importance — and limitations — of Russia’s growing dependency on China for energy sales.”

“Growing dependency” is a good description of Russia’s relationship with China for a lot more than energy sales.