Neighbours wary as another arms deal between Beijing and Moscow looms
Beijing and Moscow are growing ever closer, and the sale of Russian anti-aircraft missiles will only make their neighbours more wary
Intensive military cooperation between China and Russia is set to raise the eyebrows of their wary neighbours.
One of the developments being closely watched is the negotiations between Beijing and Moscow over the sale of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system. While they have dragged on since 2010, a senior Russian official said progress was made recently.
"The chances that China may be the first foreign buyer [of S-400s] are high," the official Voice of Russia cited the Kremlin's chief of staff, Sergei Ivanov, as saying last month. But he didn't give any additional details.
If the deal is approved, it will be their third big arms deal since last year.
The S-400 Triumph, a new-generation system upgraded from the S-300, which the PLA is using, is capable of countering all air attack weapons, including tactical and strategic aircraft, ballistic missiles and hypersonic targets such as the US' F-35 fighter jet.
Both Beijing and Moscow need to get something from each other
With a range of 2,400km, the S-400 can engage up to 36 targets simultaneously with as many as 72 missiles at altitudes of five metres to 30km.