Beijing: Xi Jinping’s pomp-filled visit to Moscow underscored a burgeoning but unequal alliance between the two countries, cementing China’s status as a “big brother” to Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Recently indicted for war crimes, Russia’s KGB spook-turned-president is grateful for any diplomatic support he can get. So, when the Chinese president embarked on a bells-and-whistles three-day visit to Moscow, that was a win in itself. After all, it is difficult to be painted as an international pariah when hosting one of the world’s most powerful men. But Putin — bogged down in Ukraine, his economy groaning under the strain of Western...