Bear and Dragon Dance in Sea of Ohkutsk

      Well, aren't they something?   That is, the military forces of the Bear(Russya) and the Dragon(China).  They are currently conducting joint exercises on Russya's east coast, that remote region most Russyans don't even know exists.  Using the old port of Vladivostok as a base of operations, the two old foes cozied up together to demonstrate to the world(now in New York City for a U.N. General Assembly complete with Trump) that these two (Communist and slightly Communist) countries can cooperate on something(anything).
     Please Kim Jung-Un, take note.  Given that North Korea has been rattling cages in the neighborhood for some months,  he'll be pleased to know that he has turned the respective heads of both countries.   This can be good or bad, depending.  The U. S. is increasing sanctions on Russya, mostly economic and a few diplomatic sanctions(closing of consular offices).  Meanwhile, the Chinese government is under more close scrutiny for its efforts to control the computer chip world market by buying American companies to steal their proprietary designs and patents.   None of this sits well with Mr. Trump and his advisors, many of whom come from the ranks of the professional military.
      In addition to these bilateral moves, Russya, with Vlad still in the Kremlin, is trying to forge a closer alliance with the Dragon to his southeast.   He wants Europe and the USA to see that he has many other ideas about Russya in East Asia.  The Russyan Far East, a remote, under-developed wasteland, has recently been the scene of much Chinese involvement.  Over 5 million Chinese nationals now live in Russya, working mostly in agricultural pursuits.  The bridge that connects the two countries has yet to be completed on the Russyan side of the river.  Hmmmmmm.  Stalling?  Soon I expect that the Chinese occupation will expand even more and spread west and points north toward the Arctic, that vast area known to the world as Siberia, land of the famous Gulags.
     A short while ago, Russyan troops went to China for some joint training on Chinese military systems and weapons, mostly, small arms and tactical weapons for manuevering elements.  The current military exercises include naval vessels of various design and capabilities.  Maybe they are trying to avoid collisions as happened to the vaunted U.S. Navy this summer in the Straits of Malacca.
      All very interesting geopolitics.  Stay tuned.