Xi Jinping will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on his first trip abroad since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15-16.

As Micheal Keane and I wrote back in March, this relationship is no accident.

"Russia and China have an overlapping strategic interest in taking down the United States, as well as complementary business needs. China’s simple business model is to buy and import commodities and then to make and sell mass-produced goods, which it exports to the world. In other words, China seeks to import every commodity traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and manufacture every good sold at every retail store in the Mall of America."

Read the full opinion editorial here.

Putin and Xi: Look to Beijing for the real reason behind the Ukraine invasion
The Hill: Marc Ross + Michael Keane Oped

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc