The United States¡¯ two most powerful rivals, China and Russia, used a meeting this week to pledge deepened strategic ties as part of a ¡°new era¡± in bilateral relations, in a display of their growing alignment amid efforts to push back against the U.S.-led world order.

One of the main takeaways from Russian President Vladimir Putin¡¯s two-day visit to China that wrapped up Friday was a with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which the two vowed to not only expand their partnership, but also ¡°increase interaction and tighten coordination¡± to counter Washington¡¯s ¡°destructive and hostile¡± actions to ¡°contain¡± both countries.

The tough rhetoric appeared to signal a rebuke of recent U.S. and European calls on Beijing to curtail its growing relations with Moscow.