Russia and China seal economic pacts despite Western disapproval

News Snapshot:

Russia’s prime minister signed a set of agreements with China on Wednesday during a trip to Beijing, describing bilateral ties at an unprecedented high, despite disapproval from the West of their relationship as the war in Ukraine dragged on. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin — the highest-ranking Russian official to visit Beijing since Moscow sent thousands of its troops to Ukraine in Feb. 2022 — held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and met with President Xi Jinping. With the war in Ukraine in its second year and Russia increasingly feeling the weight of Western sanctions, Moscow is leaning on Beijing...