[rodguy911]

Our worst nightmare has always been that the chinks and ruskies unite. Only saving grace with that happening is that they are both snakes and will eat each other first chance they get.
We still have the “off the books craft”. That's where the real future is. Choppers and the like are ancient technology built as busy work at this point.

[Vince Ferrer]

This deal is possible because they have no Ed Begly jrs.

[Ben Ficklin]

In one of his columns when the Ukraine issue was just taking off, Spengler framed Ukraine as a demographic issue.

Young, educated, and urban versus old, uneducated, and rural.

[ameribbean expat]

The Sino-Russian mutual admiration society works right up to the point that Vietnam takes one of the six Russian subs it has bought and torpedoes China’s brand new deep water oil platform parked in Vietnamese waters.

Certain things are geopolitical in nature. Russo-Chinese far eastern cooperation lasts as long as they have a common strategic interest in the form of a mutual opponent they are both seeking to exclude. Otherwise, Russo-Chinese cooperation has the shelf life of bananas.

[Rockingham]

An alliance between China and Russia is an adverse development but is fundamentally limited because two sick men cannot perform together as if they were one healthy man. Both countries suffer from demographic imbalances and have profound defects in their national systems, which feature a ruling class cemented into place, routine and massive corruption, and arbitrary rule.

Russia is hobbled by the so-called "natural resource trap," with export earnings from natural resources devoted not to the development of the country but to making the ruling elite wealthy and keeping them in power. As for China, her economic model of cheap labor and export led industrialization is reaching its limits, with demographics, competition, and the "middle income trap" now beginning to slow growth.

Contrary to Goldman's premise, unlike during the Cold War, the Russian educational system is no longer a well-funded national priority. Thus Russia's scientific and technical talent pool is much diminished and many of their best minds prefer to emigrate to countries that offer higher pay scales and more freedom. Most of Russia's best military technology remains based on Cold War era designs.

Although China's military is acquiring better weapons and is growing, it lacks recent combat experience, is weakened by corruption, and continues to rely on masses of poor quality recruits. When rigorous, military drills and exercises tends to expose a profound lack of readiness.

Finally, an alignment between Russia and China will spur counter efforts by other countries in the region. Viet Nam, for example, which has long looked to Russia as an ally, will tend to devalue that relationship. India, which sees China as an adversary will similarly question her reliance on Russia as a political ally and arms supplier. The new Modi government may well reorient Indian foreign and military policy to favor the US and the West.

[reefdiver]

When zer0 took office our relationships with these former Cold War enemies were not bad. Look at what he has accomplished here.
He set out to reset Americas image around the world and now has Russia and China forming an alliance that has no reason to exist other than to defeat the US of A
While pulling this off at the same time he's canceled weapon systems, cut the nuts off our military and stepped all over our veterans.
Our currency is on the edge of falling apart , and I don't see a strong Republican (yet) who is capable of fixing any of this.
We are in serious trouble

[NonValueAdded]

this reportedly will give China air cover over the whole of Taiwan, among other things.

Hey, wait a minute ...