Since Russia vetoed the UN sanctions on Syria, prompting an angry Hillary Clinton to accuse Moscow of standing on the ‘wrong side of history’, many assumed that the decision stemmed principally from the lucrative arms trade it enjoys with Al-Assad regime.  Today the spotlight has been put on Russia’s relationship with fellow resolution vetoer, China, as it was revealed that a Chinese national was arrested just under a year ago for allegedly attempting to pilfer sensitive information relating to military technology.  With Putin on the point of an official visit to Beijing, the timing seems provocative, to say the least.  The Guardian considers how the arms trade between these two powers is at the heart of a fragile and shifting relationship: