China-linked cyber-spies infect Russian govt, IT sector Cyber-spies suspected of connections with China have infected "dozens" of computers belonging to Russian government agencies and IT providers with backdoors and trojans since late July, according to Kaspersky. The Russia-based security biz claimed the malware used in the ongoing, targeted attacks – dubbed EastWind – has links …
Xi might be getting a call soon, reminding him that Beijing and Moscow are basically on the (ahem) same side.
You're not supposed to overtly undermine your ally, now are you ?
Then again, the rules are always changing in international politics . . .
Pascal Monett,
Spying on allies is perfectly normal. You need to make sure they're still planning to be allies in future, after all. Of course, it's a little embarrassing when you get caught. Although that's more a problem for democracies, where public opinion is a lot more important.
China and Russia are only allies of convenience though. They both believe they share some common enemies - and both would like to change the post WWII international settlement, so they can do more of what they'd like. But both are also exremely wary of each other - and China does the minimum to help Russia.
For example, Russia has been seriously trying to diversify its gas sales for the last 15 years. China finally signed up about a decade ago, and the first pipeline (Power of Siberia?) is finishing around now, or already is. But China didn't agree to pay market price - they would only sign up if it was deeply discounted. And Russia are paying for the pipeline. So it'll make a few billion a year, but not until the 2030s - at the moment all the cash is going to paying off the build costs. Russia has been trying to get an expansion of that deal done ever since, and the Chinese have never quite managed to sign on the dotted line. And that one used different gas fields than the ones that ship to Europe, an expansion might have made it worth building the longer pipelines to be able to use the fields further West in Siberia (the ones that serve Europe) - but China hasn't been willing to do that, even now most of Russia's deliveries to Europe have stopped.
Similarly with oil exports. When sanctions hit, the Chinese were willing to buy Russian oil, at a 30-40% discount and with Russia paying for the shipping.
China has also mostly refused to sell Russia weapons. There were allegations they were laundering old artillery shells via North Korea - either shipping Kim ones in exchange for what he sends to Russia or just routing them that way. But I've not seen them even partially confirmed by anyone credible. They've also helped with some chips somewhat. But not everything Russia wants.
Finally I remember Ukrainian (and a couple of Russian) sources last year talking about how China were about to ban both Russia and Ukraine from buying Chinese drones, even FPV drones off Ali-Express. And both sides were having problems getting them, and worried. Ukraine made serious efforts to build more drones in country - even if a lot of that is from kits that are still sourced from China. Also a lot of Ukraine's front-line drones are bought by Western governments - or even volunteer groups - and then shipped in. I've no idea if China changed their mind on this - I lost track of the story.
Despite all Putin's talk of an ever closer alliance, whenever they meet, the Russians never get to walk away clutching an actual agreement with an solid support.
I suspect Xi is actually pissed off, because his hopes of conquering Taiwan have taken a massive hit from the response to Russia invading Ukraine. Everyone's worrying about it, and it's top of the topics for international foreign policy discussions. Lots of countries are worried about it, and I think there's a much higher chance of a reasonably well coordinated set of international sanctions if China moves on Taiwan - and maybe even a higher risk of military intervention. European navies are all starting to send flag-waving task forces to Asia, Italy and France are sending carriers this year, we are next year, France and us both did in 2019/2020. Putin has queered his pitch.
This is excellent analysis. So many moving parts here and a lot of misinformation. China is 100% allies of convenience with Russia. They simply strongly agree with each other on the principal that NATO/Western countries have no right to oppose them controlling territories in their backyard. If only Taiwan hadn't become an absolutely critical part of the western tech supply chain over the last two decades due to globalization. The same western technology China is now being told they can't buy any longer due to concerns they are intent on dominating all of Asia with it. Right or wrong, and given their worsening economic trouble of late, China is mostly playing the cards they're being dealt by the west which has led them to this point of being in bed with NK, Russia, and even Iran.
I do not feel envious of world leaders trying to navigate Cold War II.
Welcome to El Reg/The Register, ExtremeModerate, publishing news on situations biting the hand that feeds IT.
And is more right than wrong to say, with coincidental regard to their worsening economic troubles of late [and quite exactly who they may be, I care not to speculate on], the same western technology China is now being told they can't buy any longer due to western concerns they are intent on dominating all of Asia with it rather than it being an exclusive western confection and remote elite executive command and control trojan?
It's hilarious. BRICS was a marketing and descriptive term from a fund manager in London - describing growing economies to invest in - preferably with him please. Since then Brazil and Russia have stopped growing much at all, and South Africa's economy is a bit of a disaster. India and China are of course doing well, but also the two most likely countries in the group to go to war with each other, with regular border clashes in the last ten years - where hundreds of both sides' troops have been killed.
When all the sanctions hit Russia, after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the BRICS bank said that they would no longer finance projects in Russia (a founder member). This is because it's one of those international banks that basically has a small amount of capital from the governments and borrows money on the Western markets at relatively low interest, and then invests that money for a small profit on projects the governments approve of - that can't get funding directly from those Western markets. So if they broke sanctions on Russia, their credit would dry up, because Western financial institutions wouldn't be allowed to deal with them. So a bank partially owned and capitalised by the Russian government doesn't dare invest in Russia - even though it was set up for that very purpose.
Also, the last BRICS summit was in South Africa. To which Putin couldn't go. As they're signatories to the ICC (International Criminal Court). And South Africa's supreme court said they'd have to arrest Putin for war crimes, if he turned up.
Yeah, I always found BRICS to be more of a counter to the US dominated G7 than a potential alliance in the making of any sort. Brazil and South Africa are much further astray culturally. India has its own ambitions to be recognized for the power it is numbers wise. Russia is like the middle aged drunk uncle that wants to fight everyone. China only cares about getting their hooks deep into any country they trade with. Perhaps the one thing they do all agree on is they don't like the US Dollar being dominant everywhere, yet they can't seem to figure out a way to change that.
Agreed. I am always curious to know why people think BRICS would amount to anything.
China absolutely wants BRICs to a a vehicle to create a currency dominated by the Yuan.
India doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Yuan.
India’s primary sources of income are from the West.
India is quite happy with the dollar. They would want the Rupee to be a bit more popular, though.
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