Good article Nicholas and I am sure you are right regarding the gas deal, especially if Russia is prepared to negotiate over price. As for the longer term relationship between Russia and the People's Republic it should be remembered that China puts its own interests first, second and last. Putin may find Beijing a far harder partner to deal with than Europe and the US were in the pre-Crimea period.

India is aligned with Russia as well, so that's 2.5 billion potential customers in the fastest growing economies in the World. Any pipeline to China could easily be extended to India

A good centrist article based on an economic prism.

Far more useful than the Left vs Conservative political morality debate that dominates most articles on Russia-Crimea-Ukraine .

Ukraine Crisis: What You’re Not Being Told

A concise primer on what the corporate media’s not telling you.

http://www.infowars.com/ukraine-crisis-what-youre-not-being-told/

http://wakeupfromyourslumber.com/video/tom-sullivan/kiev-leaders-took-power-right-sectors-help-now-afraid-them

http://rinf.com/alt-news/editorials/natos-rape-of-yugoslavia/
http://whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/LIE/lie.html

http://intellihub.com/world-mobilizing-war-ukraine-eastern-europe/
http://wakeupfromyourslumber.com/news/tens-thousands-sign-petition-reunite-alaska-russia

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/03/much-nsa-spying-costing-lost-productivity.html

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/03/25/355941/brics-rejects-sanction-against-russia/

http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2014/03/25/404358-how-crimea-plays-in-beijing/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfdKqT13Sjw

http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2014/03/24/triangle-fire-104-years-and-counting/
where is thE 25 TON OF GOLD?

turned into debt
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/ukraine-in-talks-with-imf-for-15-20b-loan-package-1.2585362

lets go back to iraq
http://investmentwatchblog.com/iraq-buys-massive-36-tonnes-of-gold-in-march/

are they idiots..or following orders?
http://intellihub.com/leaked-recording-ukraine-leader-8-million-russians-ukraine-must-killed-nuclear-weapons/

http://investmentwatchblog.com/whats-the-primary-cause-of-wealth-inequality-financialization/

http://www.veteransnewsnow.com/2014/03/24/michael-rivero-all-wars-are-bankers-wars/
http://investmentwatchblog.com/whats-the-primary-cause-of-wealth-inequality-financialization/
http://www.michael-colhaze.biz/MC69UkraineUpdate4.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lefFz81BCo

http://rinf.com/alt-news/latest-news/government-outsources-private-companies-inequality-gets-worse/
http://rinf.com/alt-news/latest-news/ukraine-next-corporate-cash-cow/
http://investmentwatchblog.com/the-big-red-alliance-china-and-russia-show-unity-over-ukraine-crisis/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHVRE0QzwIA
http://larouchepac.com/node/30248
http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2014/03/25/peace-process-what-then/

Graham Cooke. Yes; but the likely longer term geo-political consequences are much more significant , and I mean in global terms. Russia is in desperate need of reform ( not in the short term to oust Putin, but the corruption and power of oligarchs), and fostering closer affinity, cultural, with the West. But the totally irrational drive East of NATO to encircle Russia forces it East to China; and that is fraught with bad consequences for the West.

China can align herself with whosoever she chooses! However, Chinese pragmatists, may consider the price would be too high, to choose an economic alliance with Russia?
Rhrosty.