China and russia regard each other as strategic cooperation partners in the new era. We have the dual of most going be plays a vital balancing role in world affairs. Russia with struggling statements assault on ukraine without trying to support china is neither a creator nor a party to the ukraine. Crisis facing canada, she better relations with europe while supporting the greatest frontier security since the end of the cold war. Im confident that the upcoming visit of the russian president to the peoples republic of china will strengthen our joint work also coming up in the georgia and capital tbilisi angry protestors who say that parliament has just passed a law that will pull them away from europe. And push them into the hands of the grim. I feel like i really think my power, the everything falling into the water son reginald, the con or to our viewers watching on tvs in the United States and to all the people around the world. Welcome. We begin today observing a partnership that is supposed to have no limits. Its been more than 2 years since the russian and chinese president s used those words, no limits, to describe the bilateral relations between them and their nations. Well, we are about to get an updated idea. Just weird. That relationship now stands. It is now early thursday in china and the russian president , bottom improvement has just touched down there. His 1st trip abroad since the start of his 5th president ial term last week. And illegals from europe and the United States, they will be watching and listening carefully. Theyve already called out vision for supporting la scale, and its invasion of ukraine. But is this an arrangement born out of principles or born out of fostering the w as east asia correspondent james trader has this report. Last months chinese president issue jim ping made russia his 1st overseas trip up to securing a 3rd as the most go, a symbolic choice of to use a pundum akira isolation voting. Now, just to recap to his face, the new gratian is, russian president , Vladimir Putin is returning beyond making badging the 1st 4 and trip of seats, utah. Those countries are interested in projecting unity in the face of what they say is a global or the dominated by the United States. That when russias foreign minister such a life problem was in the aging last month, he hailed what most going badging questions and no limits punishing is yours not more than once. Alida is president , putin and president changing, paying, like have stressed to the determination of russia and china to counter attempts to slow down the formation of a multi polar world to slow down the long overdue processes of democratization and justice. Which is thats the is pretty good, the least as they celebrate 75 years of different attic. 5, china is very much the senior partner, the 2 sides of Defense Military exchanges, increasing launched his invasion of ukraine more than 2 years ago. And even more importantly, some must go trade ties between the 2 balloons. Providing russia in economic lifeline a mid sweeping International Sanctions might be in response west and leaders when she against providing must go with support sports invasion. You may get some have even all she to ring in boots that we called on china to use all its influence on russia to end russias wall of aggression against ukraine. But china is lead just as long as she brushed off the criticism and ignore the request. Was fine really you . We oppose using the ukraine crisis. The costs to blame me a 3rd country and inside a new cold war, son dont, should look down and select you, seizure opinions about him if youre saying shared just staying for us, global leadership. But with most go increasingly isolated, diplomatically under the economy. You launch the prop top by badging folks. Know that no limits. Partnership is no longer one between equals as well demitria. Ive heard of it. She is a g or political analysts. She focuses on russia and china. T is also the author of the book rolled on the brink, how america can beat china in the race for the 21st century. And dmitri joins me tonight right here. Demetrius. Good, they have you with this. The 2 leaders here say that they enjoy a no limits partnership. So let me just ask you, what are the real limits here . Limits are actually huge either countries or actually allies of each other. Theyre most friends of convenience and certainly from china is perspective. This is a very transactional relationship. China is looking to buy fossil fuels from russia, oil, gas, and coal at a significant discount to help its own economy, but in terms of exports to russia, russia is actually tiny market for china. It is the 16th overall in terms of exports for them and uh, is not at all strategic. And even when it comes to fossil fuels, one of the priorities for food and se unbox on the strip is going to be to sink, to sign a deal on the power of february to gas pipeline. To redirect the gas. It was originally destined to go to europe to china. The chinese have been dragging their feet on this and negotiating very hard, barking on price that makes it not a very attractive bill for russia. Were talking about weapons for a moment to your food and we know clearly needs trying his vacuum for his voyage. You crave, but hes only getting weapons for aid from iran and north korea. Do you think thats going to change any time soon . I i dont. So look, china is perfectly willing to sell anything that is going to buy out as long as it does not result in sanctions from the United States. So it is clearly afraid of jeopardizing the, the us relationship any further input and the european one as well. So when it comes to lethal weapons, it is not going to budge on that because it knows that it cannot afford right now. Particular one is economy is not doing well to come under these sanctions. Now do you use uh, equipment . Uh its certainly goodness. It continues to send in that whether its somebody, conductors, whether its machines to manufacture advanced weapon systems that is going to be delivered to black market means who resellers in china is usually the thing last week was in france when inviting me to put in a shook hands nuclear rattle, if you will, by announcing Tactical Nuclear weapons drills with bella roost would be the how does toy with the Nuclear Threat . How does that go down with each in p or not . Well, in fact, shes in p has been critical when prudent last uh try to use a new but black mail card in the fall of 2022. When his forces were surrounded in the city of her song and there was fear on the us side, that he might actually even test and you put a weapon or a fragment to use any of the weapons. Doubtful the new cranes approach china as well as other leaders to send a clear message just to put in that this is unacceptable and china did. So china does not want to see the breaking of the taboo and the use of Nuclear Weapons because they themselves would be impacted by this in a potential conflict with the us overtime. One for, for example. And im wondering if im dimitri weird judge. Right should fit in with showing this confrontation with the west, particularly in the United States would be the valuable ally. Or is it more of a useful distraction that we know us Foreign Policy assets . Theyve been tied up of dealing with ukraine. We know that the bite administration wanted to focus on china as it did. And you know, this is a sort of a trend line and american Foreign Policy over the last decade that we try to pivot to asia and every single time something else, whether its in our lease or europe attempts to intervene and pull us back. And look, i think for china, this war as is not something i think they desired originally, but they werent enough to just live with it, but actually benefit from it. Theyre getting cheap gas and oil from russia. They are increasingly the russians become economically dependent on china and becoming your boss will state to china and america is distracted. It is sending weapons and munitions they might need in a conflict in asia to ukraine. Its spending so much of its resources, diplomatically and economically on this conflict, so that is all highly beneficial to china. So lets, lets consider then when the United States does focus more on china in an article that you publish today and foreign affairs, you argue the taiwan situation has relevant similarities with the cold war situation of west berlin. How should washington go back to the old moss scale play book when its dealing with beijing . So well the key to understanding the cold war and the importance to west berlin is that when the berlin wall was built in 1961, it actually lower detached as dramatically in the cold war. Because berlin, west berlin was the one flash point that threatened to take us and the soviet union to nuclear conflict. Obviously that was cuba as well. For 13 days, there was actually now growth of the west berlin crisis in 1962, but pretty much after 1962. The threat of conflict diminished dramatically. And you had a discount of 19 seventies improvements and relations arms control agreements and the like. You can have the same thing between the United States and china, but you have to convince china that taking tie one is untenable, that it will not happen in just like flu shots inside of your band and his impressions to take west berlin. China has to balance emissions on tie one in order to see improve relations. You blank that ultimately there can be another day talk with china without the creation of a figurative wall across the try one straight. What would that look like . So its all about the trans, we have to convince presidency that taking taiwan is impossible militarily. And even if its a few things, it might not be possible militarily that the economic costs would be disastrous. So it means invent inventing and investing in significant deterrence capabilities, military discharged capabilities in the region with a time when he is. But it also means increase our economic leverage over china in areas like semi conductors, for example, artificial intelligence. And we use in their economic leverage over us in the areas that we technologies like the electric vehicles, like batteries, which weve just seen, the by the ministrations place terrace on your and you say just as it was in the cold war for the United States, stalling can be a Winning Strategy when were talking about trying to use a of the slowing trying his advanced down a month here or a year there is critical and you say as he is letting, trying to make its own mistakes. What would be the biggest mistake in, in your opinion that china could make moving forward . Its really economic. There mismatch in their economy. They have a huge real estate bubble. Their use, unemployment is over 15 percent present. She seems completely, im interested in fixing those fundamental economic issues. And on top of that, he has a demographic collapse, is going to manifest itself in the coming decades. China is do nothing about all of those problems. And as long as that continues, their economy will always be smaller than the United States, which means less money to spend on projects like the delta rote initiatives and on their military. Dimitri, ive heard of ej, we appreciate your time and valuable analysis tonight. Thank you. Thanks so much i now to the country of georgia where thousands have once again taken to the streets and protests against a new foreign influence lot. Now, western countries have joined opposition political leaders in georgia in denouncing the measure that targets media and other groups with significant foreign funding press for 17 year old on the staff here is ready to rally for georges future with the respirator on her head. In case police fire to your gas, she is out to meet people who share her anger. Georges youth are furious over the foreign influence law passed by the parliament. The i feel like everything my or is everything. Everything with this, 84. Because of the time to change it to and i dont know, i know that im honest i see is referring to the 84 law makers who voted in favor of the law. It requires any n g o or Media Organization getting more than 20 percent of funding from abroad to register as an agent of foreign influence. The ruling Georgia Dream Party defends the law. Under the us today is the most important day in terms of strengthening the independence and sovereignty of our countries of the adoption of the law on transparency of for an influence create strong guarantees of long term peace and tranquility in georgia. And im sure to be set up soon for this. You as warren, that the log when danger georgias pass to the block of the Baltic States are among the strongest critics of the bill. Lets be basically see their Foreign Ministers mat george and president subdomains of which be lead. Who plans to veto the legislation . She has 14 days to act with georges president spoke to dw news earlier today and explained why she plans to be to the legislation. Well its the slow has become for the jordan population that has been demonstrating dial 41 bonus has become the symbol of a number of lows and measures and the rhetoric and that is sticking georgia away from. Its your pin past that lucas has completely secured since we got to be candidate status. And so its this simple that im going to be true because there was no possibility for anyone to show the critic, so ha partners or from the city of the forces. The non governmental organizations, everybody was saying this is a little that is exactly the same as the one rush as used to add to really uh, a brand and uh, or photos of the city of society and the done prevent organizations in russia. So we do not want that flow, its not good for them to the european values. Anyway, nothing about the country to get closer to the european. It has not been released and it has been adopted. The ina precipitated way the surgery hearing was the has the independent gene one minute, 7 seconds. All right, im drawing out by laura thornton, shes a Senior Vice President for democracy from the german marshall fund. Seem to have you with this georgia. I have seen weeks approach has over this for an influence law, but the government is still forcing it through about what does that tell us . I mean, is the government reflecting the majority opinion in this country, or are the port testers speaking for the majority . Do we know . So thats actually a really good question. Um, it seems from the streets of to police and weve never seen anything like that. I mean, the estimates have up to 3 100000 people in the country of 3500000. So it does seem like public support is there. We dont have adequate data at this point to say like what percentage of georgians are for the lower against the law. But the government is under toured, and i dont think Public Opinion would sway them either way because this is part of their, a liberal play book that theyve been implementing over the last decade when i, when i 1st moved to georgia, the critics of this legislation say that it threatens democracy, they are, but why is requiring Media Organizations to report where their funding comes from . Why is that seen as a threat as well . First of all theres, theres no need for it all. I was an n g o in georgia. All of our information is public, there are no transparency concerns about that. Secondly, it is not only just a level of transparency which already exists. It is certain punitive measures against these groups, certain report reporting requirements low on the stigma of being labeled as an actor of the state. And it just because your n g o in georgia receives 20 percent funding save from the you or the United States doesnt mean youre carrying out the interest of a foreign adversary. And keep in mind the terminology thats being used around this law is flipping the switch between allies and enemies. And apparently, according to the georgia dream government and the rhetoric, the United States and the you are enemies of georgia. Interestingly not mentioned in the law, is russia a country actually occupied in georgia in increa increasing its up to occupation inch by inch every year. Yeah. Your opinion diplomats are saying that georges attempt to join the you is now at risk and i think Something Like 80 percent of georgians say they still want to join the you. So what, whats happening here . I mean, is the george in this dream party . Is it working against the will of the george and people when it comes to your membership . Yes, because and i think that weve just been like hostages with our heads in the sand about this. Theyve been very clear for years. The problem with the you and joining the u. S, you have to pass certain reforms. These are to mark democratic reports. If they do so, that would create a level Playing Field which might not return them to power. At the end of the day, this is all about keeping georgia dream and power. And being a democrats nation with a free and Fair Election with transparent you this year. And all those facets of the requires. They might know when and between of unashamedly the oligarchy. That is the hunter, richard. Dream is terrified of that prospect. So when having to decide between the you and staying and power, georgia dream picks power, the president of georgia is meeting with a ministers today, wednesday. I mean, is there anything that the International Community can do right now . Im in to mitigate this conflict at all. I think theres a little bit week. I think there are things we can do. Im very pleased with the United States, the assistant secretary of state, your mcbryan was just there. He didnt. He indicated that if the law goes through, there will be sanctions from the United States, including travel bands for m ps leaders and their families. And this is really important because while church and dream seems to love to adopt russian tactics for suppressing democracy, they sure dont send their kid