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MOSCOW — Chinese President Hu Jintao’s official visit to Russia heralds the significant strides the neighboring giants have made in bilateral relations since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yet my discussions here over the past week with a range of Russian government officials, businessmen and academics reveal a complex relationship. All in all, as a leading Russian sinologist observed, “China is now becoming a headache for Russia.”

Discussions in Beijing earlier this month also pointed to potential problems on the horizon.