【明報專訊】PRESIDENT XI JINPING has concluded his visit to Russia at a time when Washington and Moscow were locked in a stand-off over ending the Ukraine War, and the talks between China and the US over trade and tariff wars are drawing near. Given the backdrop of these sensitive events, Xi's trip was certainly watched closely by Washington. The West is also observing whether China and Russia will form an alliance. However, today's China and Russia are no longer the China and Soviet Union of the 1980s. It would be an outdated and impractical plot if Washington thinks that it can team up with either Beijing or Moscow to fight the other side. On the contrary, there is a wide room for cooperation between China and Russia to counter the US.