Speculations over forum and drill uncalled for

That China and Russia should work more closely together to fight protectionism has become even more important given the unilateral approach of some to resolve international issues. Emphasizing this fact after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the 4th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping said that an increasingly volatile geopolitical climate has made the China-Russia partnership a necessity.

This special closeness between China and Russia may be more conspicuous in the unprecedented scale of Chinese presence in Russia's largest post-Cold War military drill, "East-2018".

But the fact that the drill coincides with the Vladivostok forum has prompted wild speculations over its nature and purpose. Are pressures from Washington again driving Beijing and Moscow into a military alliance? What's the message the two intend to send through it? Will there be a new Cold War?