Chinese premier Li Keqiang capped his tour through the One Belt, One Road’s hinterland with a stop in St. Petersburg, Russia to meet with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. The 21st regular meeting of the Russian and Chinese heads of government came with the usual raft of agreements and memorandums. Ahead of Li’s visit to St.Petersburg, Medvedev gave an interview with China Central Television. Trade was a big topic of discussion, particularly free trade, the WTO, and protectionism. It’s hard not to read between the lines and see the United States and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (as well as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a free trade agreement under negotiation between the United States and Europe). Read more
