Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping before a reception to greet high-ranked foreign guests before the 2014 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony in Sochi, on Feb 7, 2014. With the US-lead West ganging up on Russia over Crimea, Russia is looking to China and the East for economic and strategic partnership - AFP Photo.
MOSCOW: When President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty this week annexing Crimea to great fanfare in the Kremlin and anger in the West, a trusted lieutenant was making his way to Asia to shore up ties with Russia's eastern allies.
Forcing home the symbolism of his trip, Igor Sechin gathered the media in Tokyo the next day to warn Western governments that more sanctions over Moscow's incorporation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine would be counter-productive.
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