World News for Students of English

27-05-2014 07:00

This is the headquarters where the Chinese and Russian military are conducting a week-long naval drill in the East China Sea. The joint exercise is a milestone in the relationship between the two countries and, more significantly, the first time the Chinese navy has worked so closely with a foreign maritime force. A sign of growing trust between Moscow and Beijing, even though they both insist they are not military allies.

The drills come a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a gas deal with China reportedly worth 400 billion dollars. The agreement between Russia’s Gazprom and China’s National Petroleum Corp was signed at this summit in Shanghai. The 30-year deal will see 38 billion cubic metres of natural gas being delivered into China from 2018.

The pact is a blow to the United States which has been trying to isolate President Putin. It comes at a time when the Kremlin is at loggerheads with the US over the political situation in Ukraine. But with a new gas deal and increasing military co-operation between Russian and China, the US seems unlikely to break up this blossoming new romance.

Difficult words: headquarters (place from which military operating are controlled), conduct (carry out), drill (training), maritime (at sea), blow (hard hit), be at loggerheads with somebody (to disagree strongly about something), blossoming (growing), romance (relationship).

Source: www.itn.co.uk