Putin’s desperate flirtation with Xi turned embarrassing. Now the Chinese believe that Russia is losing.

NEWS ANALYSIS: Putin has become completely dependent on Xi for survival. China knows how to exploit that.

The economic problems loom large for President Vladimir Putin. Thanks to China, however, he has avoided a disaster. Russia has become the country second most dependent on China, after North Korea.

Now Putin is gambling on even more help from his Chinese colleague Xi Jinping. He is about to get a result he is unlikely to like, say experts.

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