Russia’s Isolation Plays into China’s Hands

AP reports on China’s role in dealing with Russia’s recent actions in Georgia at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit:

As Moscow’s combative rhetoric leaves it increasingly isolated, China may have tipped the balance of influence in Russia’s backyard.

Russian peacekeepers ended Georgia’s “barbaric aggression” according to “international legal standards,” Medvedev told a news conference Friday after a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The group comprises China, Russia and four ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia, whose energy riches are coveted by Russia, China and the West.

The summit members issued a statement Thursday vaguely praising what it called Russia’s efforts to ensure peace after its war with Georgia this month.