Medvedev's Visit and Strengthening Ties Between Russia and China

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will visit China from Sept. 26-28. Russia and China recently have shown the ability to stay out of each other's way and even cooperate when their interests align, such as in the area of energy development. However, the countries still have vast differences in strategic matters. Russia and China do not fully trust each other, and since neither Moscow nor Beijing wants to be the center of the United States' attention, each is hoping the other will take that role.