China and Russia to Deepen Defense Ties-Military

China’s Xi Jinping is doubling down on his strategic military partnership with Russia, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin doubles down in Ukraine this week with the largest forcible annexation of territory since World War II. Putin will formally sign agreements to annex four of Ukraine’s Russian-occupied regions at a signing ceremony in Moscow on Friday, the Kremlin said in a statement. Beijing is unlikely to endorse the move, which could represent a real hard limit on China’s political relationship with Moscow. Military relations, however, are set to grow regardless of events in Europe. Colonel Tan Kefei, China’s defense ministry…