USSURIISK, Russia (AP) - In the mosquito-infested fields of Russia's Far East, Chinese pick tomatoes. In the markets, they sell cheap jeans and backpacks and fix shoes. At construction sites, they rebuild cities. As China and Russia embark on a new stage of cooperation by holding joint military exercises launched from the Pacific port of Vladivostok, the Chinese presence is growing in this hardscrabble region thousands of miles from Moscow.

Well well well… what do we have here? I have talked about how the Chinese and Russia are getting a little too cozy. I have talked about how Putin would love a return to the glory days of a socialist republic. I have talked about them making a strategic partnership. Usually folks ignore that kind of talk (including all of Washington). Read the rest of this article, and other posts I’ve made to see really how foggy my crystal ball is.