As Russia and U.S. Struggle, China Rejoices

[dipsydoodle]

With multi-billion dollar energy deals between Moscow and Beijing recently being pushed through, China, the world's second-biggest economy, is benefiting the most from the spiraling tension between Russia and the West over the violence in Ukraine.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban earlier this month compared the European Union's sanctions policy against Russia to "shooting oneself in the foot," and experts on China said Friday that Beijing would be better served by not answering U.S. calls to punish Russia.

Nonetheless, the U.S. seems determined to get China onside. Last week, in an interview with Lithuanian news portal Alfa.Lt, the U.S. State Department's coordinator for sanctions policy Daniel Fried, said Washington was continuing its campaign to drum up support for sanctions on Russia and was seeking allies in Asia, namely in South Korea, Singapore and China.

"We had consultations with China and will continue our consultations," Fried said.

So far, the U.S. has been joined by the EU, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland in slapping various degrees of economic sanctions on Russia over its role in the increasingly bloody Ukraine crisis.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/as-bear-and-eagle-struggle-the-dragon-rejoices/505745.html

[GeorgeGist]

1. on the way to the bank.