Russia and China's war games.

From 11 to 13 September this year Russia and China conducted joint military live fire exercises in Siberian far East. It was the largest war game by Chinese and Russian troops since the 1991, considering that there were three thousand troops, thirtysix thousand tanks and army vehicles, and a thousand of planes and ships.

Russia and China's leaders say they will increase bilateral relations, as boost to ties were announced at Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok this month.

Since last decade the two giants have cooperated on various levels, as Moscow is looking to China as alternative Russian energy customer. In this perspective, in May 2015 the two world powers cooperated at a military level in the Mediterranean sea, where their interests coincide: China is interested in its gateway in Greece to distribute goods across central and eastern Europe, and Russia wants to protect its small naval port on the Syrian coast. Moreover, Russia gave a demonstration of power and influence in the Middle East. 

No deal is better than bad deal

London, Gracechurch Street

This week the Director of the International Monetary  Fund, Christine Lagarde, has warned of dire consequences if no deal is reached before 28 March 2018 between the UK and EU, as leaving the EU with no deal would be costly for the British economy. Actually, Mrs. Lagarde has said: "The larger the impediments to trade in the new relationship, the costlier it would be". She has pointed out a black picture if there is no-deal Brexit, considering the negative impact it could have on the UK in terms of "Shock to supply" of goods. In the case of  no-deal Brexit the EU is obliged under WTO rules to impose tariffs on goods which will be imported from the UK.

In 2016 British people would given the option to remain or to leave, but they didn't think how to leave the EU. It has become increasingly clear that people didn't know  what they were voting for, and some people now are regretting having voted the way they voted.   

Being part of the EU or not has been an issue into the UK's political framework for decades. In addition, it isn't easy to understand at this stage how pro-Europe or anti-Europe voices within the parliamentary majority are stronger this days. And while the government is still divided on this issue, EU leaders have warned UK that it can't cherry-pick aspects of membership.

In the meantime, the UK's Prime Minister, Theresa May, who has accused the EU of not treating the UK with respect, has said "No deal is better than bad deal". She knows there is not much time left until the deadline on 28 March next year.

No deal or bad deal

Most people who live in London think there is no consensus about how Britain leaves the EU. Actually, they are afraid of the impact on the public finance and private businesses related either to a "no deal", or a "bad deal" scenario.

In this perspective, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has called for a new vote on membership of the EU, considering that the UK have to leave the EU on 29 March 2019. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has said a second vote would be an action that betrays British democracy.

Actually, the clock wouldn't strike on 29 March 2019, if all 28 EU member states agreed about a 6-month estension of time.

Furthermore, if we see a "good deal" scenario, other member states, such as Ireland and Greece, will follow the UK out of the EU.