Only days after assuming power last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping flew to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin. The summit, held on March 22, centered around bilateral trade and cooperation on international security. It was the first country Mr. Xi visited after taking office. While bilateral trade and international security may seem like routine diplomacy, they are in fact the building blocks for a powerful military and economic alliance.

Sino-Russian relations have been slowly improving over the past decade. Trade between the two countries has been minimal, but growing. Before the summit, there was little action on the energy front. The first oil pipeline between the two opened in 2011. Before that time, oil was transported by rail. Only 8 percent of Chinese crude oil comes from Russia. Natural gas has remained relatively untapped. Militarily, Russia has remained reluctant to share its technology with China.

However, the geopolitical landscape of East Asia is now rapidly pushing Russia and China toward closer ties. The United States has been retreating from the Middle East, and has openly declared that it is pivoting toward Asia. The move is undoubtedly an attempt to counter the influence of China.

In the wake of the U.S. “pivot,” tensions spiked in the region as Japan and China locked heads over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. With the U.S. backing Japan, and seizing the opportunity to attempt to unite the smaller Asian nations against China, the Chinese risk being isolated. Enter Russia.

The Russians and Americans have become increasingly polarized. Relations are failing because the two countries remain in opposition over key issues across the globe. The Russians support the Syrian government, the U.S. supports the rebels; the U.S. condemns North Korea, the Russians remain silent; the U.S. tries to weaken radical nations such as Iran, and Russia supports them.

In contrast, Russia and China share quite a few views on foreign policy. Both want the regimes in Syria, Iran and North Korea to remain. Both officially oppose nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran, but they don’t take the same hard-line approach as the U.S. and other Western nations. If Sino-Russian relations strengthen, we will see the two nations caring less and less about what Uncle Sam says about their questionable dealings with Iran and other rogue nations.

The deals worked out during Mr. Xi’s visit provide evidence that mistrust between the two is dissipating and a strong alliance is developing.

Some of the most contentious issues involve arms deals. In the past, Russia has been cautious about selling advanced technology. When it does, it runs the risk of China reverse engineering it and then selling it on to other nations. Russia accused China of reverse engineering the Su-27 fighter jet in the ’90s to enhance its own jets. Russia doesn’t want to lose its place in the arms market. Another reason for being reluctant to arm China is the risk it poses to eastern Russia. Lying directly to China’s north, the Siberian oil fields are in a vast, scarcely populated part of Russia. The Chinese side of the border is teeming with industry. In an attempt to quell Russian nervousness, Mr. Xi has already stated that border disputes were now resolved “once and for all.”

The Chinese press has reported the possibility of a deal where China would purchase 24 Su-35 fighter jets and a number of submarines. Russian officials say the deal is still being worked out.

The Su-35 would be the most powerful fighter brought into the Chinese military. This proposed deal indicates that Russia is beginning to trust China with more of its firepower.

There is also the issue of energy ties. The needs of the Russians and Chinese mesh perfectly. The Russians want to sell, and the Chinese want to buy.

Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the Russian Duma’s International Affairs Committee, summed it up well. Justifying the new deals, he said, “[T]here is strong economic incentive. The Chinese economy is a factory, and we have the energy to power that factory.”

Now there are plans to construct another pipeline between the two countries, which would help with the transportation of natural gas to China. At the same time, the Chinese have promised $2 billion in credit to the Russian gas company, Gazprom. This is a strong indication that the two nations are looking to bolster economic ties. The new pipeline could bring in up to 68 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year.

In the past year, there have been considerable advancements on the economic front between the two nations. Trade jumped 11 percent in 2012. It is expected to reach $100 billion by 2015, and $200 billion by 2020.

The meeting between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin was more than just bilateral trade and international security. The meeting represented a major step in enhancing relations between the two nations.

The Trumpet has forecast this alliance for years. Read the booklet Russia and China in Prophecy. It was first published in 1991, and sheds light on the rise of both nations and the part they will play in the final terrible hours of man’s rule over man. We can take hope in the fact that, as Russia and China unite, we are also moving closer to the return of Christ in power and glory. He will ensure that all nations unite, not for the benefit of one or two nations, but for the good of all.