Modi, Abe have task cut out in Russia: Prying Putin away from China

Apart from better bilateral ties at the expense of China, Modi will probably seek from Putin support for his new Kashmir policy

Alarmed by Russia’s growing partnership with China, Beijing’s Asian neighbors are increasingly looking for ways to court Moscow away.

That is exactly what Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aim to do at the annual Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok this week. Chinese leader Xi Jinping will be notably absent from the event, Russian President Vladimir Putin ’s showcase for investment opportunities in his country’s Far East.

“Both of them are interested in seeing how they can come between Putin and Xi,” said Alexander Gabuev,  senior fellow at the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank. “They each have their