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<ul><li>India’s Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> and China’s President <keyword id="191809" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xi-Jinping">Xi Jinping</keyword> have not met once since tensions broke out between the two countries over the disputed border between them. </li><li>They will be coming face-to-face for the first time in November since the Galwan Valley clash that left 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of casualties on the Chinese side. </li><li><keyword id="3445806" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi-and-Xi">Modi and Xi</keyword> aren’t just scheduled to meet once, but three times — at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State summit on November 15, the BRICS summit on November 17 and the G20 summit between November 21 and 22. </li></ul>India and China have been locked in a standoff along their shared border amid the northern reaches of the Himalayas for nearly six months now. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are yet to face each other since the clash in Galwan Valley, which left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an undisclosed number of casualties on the Chinese side — until now. As November rolls in, Xi and Modi are scheduled to meet each other, albeit virtually, at least three times. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of State summit on November 10 will be their first encounter since tensions started simmering between the two Asian giants. This will be followed by the BRICS summit on November 17 and the G20 summit between November 21 and 22. These meetings come as both countries locked in a race to keep up appearances on the border and build connectivity infrastructure along the border. China’s new plans for a rail and road network The conflict between India and China is no longer about who fired the first shot but who will come out on top when this all ends. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/border-infrastructure-is-not-the-cause-of-friction-between-india-and-china-says-mea-spokesperson/articleshow/78681546.cms">inaugurated 44 bridges</a> in border areas— including eight in Ladakh, two in Himachal, and four each in Punjab and Sikkim — last month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated the world’s longest high-altitude tunnel in Ladakh. Even though India is only catching up with the vast expanse of border infrastructure that China already has in place, the dragon isn’t about the left behind. China followed India’s developments with its own plans of constructing the strategic Sichuan-Tibet Railway, according to PTI. It doesn’t extend to the Indian border, but does reach into Tibet’s Linzhi province, which is as close as China can get to Arunachal Pradesh without inciting fresh conflict. Over the weekend, China Railway announced the bidding results for constructing two tunnels, one bridge, and a power supply project to put the railway line together. The project will stretch across 1,0111 kilometers and cost around $47.8 billion. The race to build roads to the border Border infrastructure is key to any country’s national security. It is, in fact, the match that lit the fire between India and China. Experts claim that India caught China by surprise when it began developing the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat-Beg-Oldi (DSDBO) Road. It’s an all-weather road in Eastern Ladakh — where the India-China conflict is currently playing out. It cuts the time needed to traverse the distance between Leh and the DBO post down from two days to just six hours. As both nations continue to boost their border infrastructure, the ultimate outcome is anyone's guess. And, even though several meetings have taken place between military chiefs and foreign ministers, this could be a potential conversation between Modi and Xi, one that may turn the tide. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/icici-bank-surges-6-after-it-posts-six-fold-jump-in-net-profit-at-over-42-billion/articleshow/78992379.cms">ICICI Bank surges 6% after it posts six-fold jump in net profit at over ₹4,200 crore</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-updates-pfizer-moderna-to-roll-out-covid-19-vaccine-by-december/articleshow/78924143.cms">COVID-19 vaccine updates: Covaxin, India’s first indigenous COVID vaccine, is likely to be launched by mid-2021, Israel starts human trials</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/former-hdfc-bank-ceo-aditya-puri-joins-carlyle-group-as-senior-advisor/articleshow/78991270.cms">Former HDFC Bank CEO Aditya Puri joins Carlyle Group — will advise the global investment firm on Asia bets</a>

Xi and Modi to come face-to-face thrice this month even as China embarks on its rail-and-road border project

<ul><li>The seventh round of military talks between India and China lasted well over 11 hours on Monday. </li><li>Despite India’s insistence that China withdraws its troops from friction points along the border, an additional brigade of <keyword id="151196" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chinese-troops">Chinese troops</keyword> has reportedly been deployed at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Pangong Tso Lake.</li><li>“This clearly means that PLA has no plans for disengagement at least this winter,” a military commander told Hindustan Times. </li></ul>During the seventh round of military talks between India and China, the Indian side insisted that China withdraws its troops from friction points along the border. Instead, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is repotedly rotating 200 troops at a time with an additional brigade in the mix. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="78625776" title="India insists China disengages from all friction points along LAC at 7th round of military talks" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> “This clearly means that PLA has no plans for disengagement at least this winter,” a military commander told <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pla-rotates-lac-troops-shows-hand/story-BTArWOVpwKeuPCrPcVY9FJ.html">Hindustan Times.</a> India and China were locked in discussions for approximately 11 and a half hours, with talks coming to an end around 11:30 pm last night. Military experts gauge that disengagement is likely to be a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/china-has-hardened-its-stance-experts-decode-the-india-china-joint-statement-on-border-tensions/articleshow/78270081.cms">long, drawn-out process</a> that will take a while to complete. With winter ready to set in by the end of the month, and reports of troop additions, the border between India and China is starting to look a lot like the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan. India races to build border roads Amid the endeavour to resolve the border dispute, Indian Defence Minister <keyword id="6355121" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnath-Singh">Rajnath Singh</keyword> iterated that China and Pakistan are in cahoots to cause chaos along India’s geographical boundaries. “You are aware of the situation on our eastern and northern borders. It appears as if border disputes are being created under a mission, first by Pakistan and now even China,” he said at an inauguration event yesterday with kicked off operations on 44 new bridges in border areas — including seven in Ladakh. “These bridges are designed to facilitate movement of heavy civil and military traffic in border areas," said Lieutenant General Harpal Singh from the Border Roads Organization(BRO), which builds all infrastructure along South Asian nation’s borders. And, there are more border roads to come. The Modi administration has completed 74 strategic roads along the eastern border so far and has plans to finish 20 more by next year. India-China border stalemate hardens The stalemate along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) seems to be deepening with both countries preparing their troops for winter and sending in more supplies. The Asian giants have been locked in a standoff for over five months now with <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3105218/india-china-border-stalemate-endures-fear-ladakh-new-kashmir">18 rounds of meetings</a> between them at diplomatic, political and military levels to try and resolve the tensions. However, withdrawal of troops is yet to be seen despite Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his counterpart Wang Yi meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) ministerial meeting and agreeing on a ‘five-point plan’ for quick disengagement. Going forward, there may be a glimmer of hope, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Xi Jinping set to face each other for the first time since the Galwan Valley incident at the BRICS Summit on November 17. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipros-second-quarter-will-be-telling-of-how-its-new-ceo-is-steering-the-ship/articleshow/78623027.cms">Wipro's second-quarter will be telling of how its new CEO is steering the ship</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/sitharaman-offers-states-12000-crore-interest-free-for-the-next-50-years-if-they-can-spend-it-on-capital-projects-by-march-2021/articleshow/78616741.cms">Sitharaman offers states ₹12,000 crore interest-free for the next 50 years if they can spend it on capital projects by March 2021</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/itcm-nirbhay-missiles-maiden-launch-cancelled-due-to-technical-snag/articleshow/78619468.cms">ITCM Nirbhay missile's maiden launch cancelled due to 'technical snag'</a>

Chinese PLA is reportedly rotating troops despite India's insistence on disengagement from friction points along the border

The <keyword id="6354416" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Army">Indian Army</keyword> on Monday handed back to <keyword id="1334" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> a soldier of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), three days after apprehending him at the southern bank of Pangong Tso in <keyword id="2572623" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="eastern-Ladakh">eastern Ladakh</keyword>, official sources said. The soldier was returned to China at the Chushul-Moldo border point in eastern Ladakh at 10.10 am, they added. The Chinese soldier was captured at the southern bank of Pangong lake in the early hours of Friday after he transgressed across the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). "The PLA soldier, who was apprehended on January 8, was handed back to China at Chushul-Moldo at 10.10 am on Monday," a source said. Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a tense border standoff in eastern Ladakh for over eight months. The faceoff began in <keyword id="9768916" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="may-last-year">May last year</keyword>, following a clash between the two sides in the Pangong lake area. "The PLA soldier had transgressed across the LAC and was taken into custody by Indian troops deployed in this area. Troops from either side are deployed along the LAC since friction erupted last year due to unprecedented mobilisation and forward concentration by Chinese troops," the Army said in a statement on Saturday. Following the capture of the soldier by the Indian Army, China had sought his immediate return on Saturday. It was the second such incident of <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> capturing and subsequently returning a Chinese soldier in the last three months. Indian troops had captured Corporal Wang Ya Long of the PLA on October 19 last year after he "strayed" across the LAC in Ladakh's Demchok sector. The corporal was handed back to China at the Chushul-Moldo border point following the laid-down protocols. The areas around the Pangong lake along the LAC have remained tense in the last few months. Around four months ago, Indian troops occupied a number of strategic heights in the Mukhpari, Rechin La and Magar hill areas around the southern bank of the Pangong lake, after the Chinese military attempted to intimidate them in the area on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 last year. Chief of Army Staff Gen. MM Naravane visited various high-altitude forward areas in eastern Ladakh last month, including certain positions on the south bank of the Pangong lake, and reviewed India's overall military preparedness. Nearly 50,000 troops of the Indian Army are currently deployed in a high state of combat readiness at various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh in sub-zero temperatures as <keyword id="7687111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Multiple-rounds">multiple rounds</keyword> of talks between the two sides have not yielded a concrete outcome to resolve the standoff. China has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to officials. The two countries held another round of diplomatic talks last month under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs. The eighth and last round of military talks between the two sides took place on November 6 last year, during which both sides had broadly discussed disengagement of troops from specific friction points. India has all along been maintaining that the onus is on China to carry forward the process of disengagement and de-escalation at the friction points in the mountainous region. Following the sixth round of military talks, the two sides had announced a slew of decisions, including not to send more troops to the frontline, refraining from unilaterally changing the situation on the ground and avoiding taking any action that may further complicate matters. This round of talks was held with a specific agenda of exploring ways to implement a five-point agreement reached between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at a meeting in Moscow on September 10 on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave. The pact included measures like quick disengagement of troops, avoiding action that could escalate tensions, adherence to all agreements and protocols on border management and steps to restore peace along the LAC. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/2021-will-be-a-watershed-moment-for-india-tech-ecosystem-here-are-the-startup-sectors-that-vcs-are-betting-on/articleshow/80208631.cms">‘2021 will be a watershed moment for India’s tech ecosystem’ — here are the startup sectors that VCs are betting on</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/oneplus-band-with-24-hour-heart-rate-monitoring-14-days-battery-life-launched-in-india/articleshow/80209025.cms">OnePlus Band with 24-hour heart rate monitoring, 14 days battery life launched in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/radhakishan-damani-dmart-ready-takes-cautious-steps-against-jiomart-and-amazon/articleshow/80209971.cms">Pitted against JioMart, Amazon and others, Radhakishan Damani’s DMart has opted for “controlled acceleration” in e-commerce</a>

Indian Army returns Chinese soldier after  three days

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">AP Photo/Julie JacobsonMichael Cohen.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>In a sentencing memo released on Friday, federal prosecutors said Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, "acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1" - Donald Trump.</li><li>The Southern District of New York recommends Cohen face 3.5 years of prison time and a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/special-counsel-mueller-recommends-three-half-year-sentence-for-michael-cohen-2018-12">$100,000 fine.</a></li><li>On the same day, special counsel Robert Mueller's office released its sentencing memo, which recommended prison time concurrent with that recommended by federal prosecutors.</li><li>Mueller's sentencing memo also details contact with a Russian national who wanted to arrange a meeting between Trump and the president of Russia, and offered the campaign "political synergy." Cohen did not follow up on this request, the memo states.</li><li>Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12.</li></ul>Two sentencing memos <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/special-counsel-mueller-recommends-three-half-year-sentence-for-michael-cohen-2018-12">related to Michael Cohen</a>, the former personal attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, dropped on Friday.In <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-plea-deal-prosecutors-trump-2018-8">August, Cohen pleaded guilty</a> to eight counts of tax fraud, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations in a case brought by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-plea-deal-reveals-most-pivotal-time-of-2016-election-trump-russia-events-2018-11">On November 29</a>, he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, in relation to the Mueller investigation.Each sentencing memo revealed something new about the charges against Cohen being investigated by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the special counsel Robert Mueller's office.Among the revelations in the <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5453395/USDOJ-Cohen-20181207.pdf">40-page sentencing document</a> from federal prosecutors was that Cohen "acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1."Individual-1 is widely believed to be President Donald Trump. This coordination relates to the payment of two women who allege that they had affairs with Trump."With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election," the memo states. "Cohen coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments.""In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1," the document continues. "As a result of Cohen's actions, neither woman spoke to the press prior to the election."In the sentencing memo submitted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to Judge William H. Pauley III, federal prosecutors rejected Cohen's attorney's call for no prison time, saying that "Cohen, an attorney and businessman, committed four distinct federal crimes over a period of several years.""He was motivated to do so by personal greed, and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends," the memorandum continues.It acknowledges that Cohen cooperated with the special counsel's office, but says that his "extensive, deliberate, and serious criminal conduct" warrant 3.5 years of prison time.<h3>The surprising revelation from Mueller's memo included the words "synergy" in regards to contact with a Russian national.</h3>"In or around November 2015, Cohen received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level,'" the Mueller memo claims. "The defendant recalled that this person repeatedly proposed a meeting between Individual 1 and the President of Russia."Said person allegedly told Cohen that contact could have a 'phenomenal' impact 'not only in political but in a business dimension as well,' which was allegedly a reference to the "Moscow Project" - or Trump's attempts to build a luxury tower in Moscow. Cohen did not follow up on this offer, the memo says.Due to Cohen's "substantial and significant efforts to remediate his misconduct accept responsibility for his actions, and assist the SCO's investigation," <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5453418-Mueller-Cohen-filing.html">Mueller's office recommended</a> to let Cohen "serve any sentence imposed in this case concurrently with any sentence imposed in United States v. Cohen."The White House responded to the Cohen memos."The government's filings in Mr. Cohen's case tell us nothing of value that wasn't already known," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders <a href="https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1071193521028251649">said in a statement</a>. "Mr. Cohen has repeatedly lied and as the prosecution has pointed out to the court, Mr. Cohen is no hero."Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-scaramucci-trump-press-economy-2018-11">Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Federal prosecutors say Cohen committed crimes 'in coordination with and at the direction of' Trump

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">AP Photo/Kathy WillensRetired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn, left, chats with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, and Trump attorney Michael D. Cohen, center, in the lobby at Trump Tower, Monday, Dec. 12, 2016, in New York.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>This week, special counsel Robert Mueller's office released two sentencing memos related to the investigation into whether President Donald Trump's campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.</li><li>The Flynn and Cohen sentencing memos are different in terms of how much was revealed and what the special counsel's office recommends in terms of sentencing.</li><li>Here's what's different about the two memos.</li></ul>It's a tale of two memos. This week, special counsel Robert Mueller's office released two sentencing-recommendation documents related to the investigation into whether President Donald Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 US election.On Friday, Mueller's office also released its sentencing recommendations for Cohen.The release was one of three documents predicted for this week. On Tuesday, Mueller's office released the sentencing memo for retired general Michael Flynn, who served as a campaign advisor and short-lived national security adviser.On Friday evening, Mueller filed a document alleging that Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, violated his plea agreement.The Flynn and Cohen sentencing memos are quite different in terms of how much was revealed and what the special counsel's office recommends in terms of sentencing. Here's a look:<h2>Michael Flynn</h2>The alleged crime: <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/1/16724742/michael-flynn-plead-guilty-lied-fbi">Lying to the FBI about his contact with the Russian ambassador</a> during the Trump transition in late 2016, which Flynn was highly involved with.Mueller's memo claims he lied about what he said to the Russian ambassador regarding sanctions: "When the FBI interviewed the defendant on January 24 about his interactions with the Russian ambassador, the defendant falsely stated that he did not ask the Russian ambassador to refrain from escalating the situation in response to the sanctions, and falsely disclaimed any memory of his subsequent conversation with the ambassador in which the ambassador stated that Russia had acceded to the defendant's request."Flynn also made false statements to the Department of Justice about his contact with Turkey.The memo: His sentencing recommendation memo was 13 pages in total, but a good portion of the memo (the addendum to the sentencing memo) <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5425867-Flynn-SCO-Supp.html">was redacted</a>.The recommendation: Due to Flynn's <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5425867-Flynn-SCO-Supp.html">early cooperation</a>, which may have "affected the decisions of related firsthand witnesses to be forthcoming with the SCO and cooperate" - Mueller is recommending no prison time.Date of his sentencing: December 18, 2018.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-michael-cohen-told-mueller-about-moscow-trump-tower-talks-2018-12">Everything Michael Cohen told Mueller about the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia, according to the memo that could land Cohen a 'substantial' prison sentence</a><h2>Michael Cohen</h2>The alleged crime: Lying to Congress - the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence - about the so-called "Moscow Project" or attempts to secure a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Specifically, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about how long he had been working on the deal (it turns out it was until June 2016, not January 2016) and to what extent he discussed it with other parties at the Trump Organization.The memo:The memo was released shortly after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/special-counsel-mueller-recommends-three-half-year-sentence-for-michael-cohen-2018-12">another sentencing memo pertaining to Cohen</a> - that one was from the Southern District of New York, where in 40 pages federal prosecutors detailed crimes and sentencing recommendations on charges of tax fraud, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations.The recommendation: Mueller recommends "that it would be appropriate to allow the defendant to serve any sentence imposed in this case concurrently with any sentence imposed in United States v. Cohen. In that latter case, federal prosecutors recommended 3.5 years of prison time.Date of his sentencing: December 12, 2018.<h2>The takeaways</h2>The broader takeaways have less to do with Cohen or Flynn - and their respective sentences - and more to do with the investigation itself and what was learned from these two documents.Flynn spoke to DOJ prosecutors or the Mueller investigation 19 times, and his cooperation was described as "substantial" in the memo. The six-page addendum that was highly redacted, suggests that there's more to come out of the investigation.In Cohen's sentencing memo, it was revealed that in November 2015 - roughly five months into Trump's campaign for president - he was in contact with a Russian national who "repeatedly" proposed connecting "Individual 1" (thought to be Trump) with Russian Vladimir Putin. This Russian national also suggested that connecting would provide "political synergy" and would be advantageous both for <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> and business. Cohen did "not follow up" on setting up the meeting.Some are suggesting that this November 2015 meeting lines up with a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ivanka-trump-cohen-dmitry-klokov-trump-tower-moscow-2018-6">BuzzFeed News</a> report that Ivanka Trump introduced Cohen to Russian athlete Dmitry Kolkov to set up a meeting. Cohen, decided not to pursue the connection.Cohen and Flynn's sentencing recommendations differed in part because of the other crimes that Cohen has pleaded guilty to in another case against being brought by federal prosecutors.While one escaped a recommendation of prison time and the other was recommended jail time, in both sentencing memos the special counsel's office acknowledged the defendants' cooperation with the investigation. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-scaramucci-trump-press-economy-2018-11">Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

The important differences between Mueller's sentencing memos for Michael Flynn and Michael Cohen

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Murad Sezer/ReutersRussia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan attend a news conference in Istanbul December 3, 2012.</div></div></div>Turkey is looking into joining a Chinese- and Russian-led alliance known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan <a href="http://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2016/11/20/tired-of-eus-delaying-tactics-erdogan-points-to-shanghai-pact">told reporters Sunday</a> at the end of his official tour of Pakistan and Uzbekistan. Erdogan said that he met with SCO leaders over the weekend and expressed his interest in joining the Eurasian political, economic, and military alliance as an alternative to joining the European Union, which has not been receptive to Turkey's repeated bids for membership that began in 1963.France, Germany, and Belgium - home to Brussels, where the EU is headquartered - <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/may/22/vote-leave-turkey-warning-ignorance-european-realities">have long opposed</a> Turkey's accession into the EU. Erdogan's reluctance to sign on to certain membership requirements, and his increasingly authoritarian leadership over Turkey, has also sparked concern among European leaders that he is not committed to a Western conception of human rights and civil liberties. Thousands of Turkish civil servants - as well as military personnel, police officers, academics and teachers - have been purged or arrested on suspicion that they were associated with a failed coup attempt against Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in July. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Kenan GurbuzOne of the 11 fugitive commandos who attempted the coup in Turkey is arrested.</div></div></div>Dozens of journalists, primarily working for opposition newspapers, have also been arrested since the attempted coup, while several opposition outlets have been shut down altogether.Erdogan insisted in a recent interview with "60 Minutes" that "these measures are being taken by prosecutors and judges in full accordance with the rule of law." But the crackdown has led the European Commission <a href="http://www.politico.eu/article/europe-warns-turkeys-democracy-is-backsliding/">to warn Turkey that it is "backsliding"</a> in human rights and democracy - an accusation at which Erdogan appeared to scoff."From time to time, we see insults directed at myself, claims that there was no freedom of expression in Turkey," Erdogan <a href="http://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2016/11/20/tired-of-eus-delaying-tactics-erdogan-points-to-shanghai-pact">said</a> Sunday."Meanwhile, terrorists prance around in French, German and Belgian streets. This is what they understand of freedom."<h2>A rejection, or a bluff?</h2>Increasing disenchantment with the EU and the perception that he is being lectured to by the US - which supports anti-ISIS Syrian Kurds viewed by Turkey as terrorists - has apparently spurred Erdogan to look east, where his domestic policies have not been heavily scrutinized or condemned."Erdogan feels much more comfortable and at home among the authoritarian regimes of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization rather than facing the scrutiny and criticism of the European family of nations," Aykan Erdemir, an expert on Turkey and senior fellow at the Foundation for <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> of Democracies, told Business Insider on Monday. Joining or even threatening to join the Shangai bloc, moreover - which is heavily influenced by Russia and China - would rattle the West and, as Erdogan said on Sunday, "considerably broaden Turkey's room to maneuver."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ5M578U2&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1239&amp;RH=850#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0BXZ5M578U2&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1239&amp;RH=850&amp;PN=2&amp;POPUPPN=93&amp;POPUPIID=2C0BF1O7XF9MR">Reuters/POOL New</a>Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as they attend a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.</div></div></div>"If Turkey were to actually join the SCO, it would of course drastically alter relations with the US and NATO," Middle East analyst Michael Koplow, policy director of the Israel Policy Forum, told Business Insider on Monday."It would be viewed as a rejection of the Western alliance, and make it incredibly difficult to include Turkey in any type of high-level strategic dialogue, given concerns about Russian expansionism," he added, saying Turkey, unlike other NATO members, is already a partner country to SCO dialogue.Still, many analysts are skeptical that Erdogan is prepared to put his money where his mouth is. He <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-turkey-rapprochement-2016-10">has been flirting </a>heavily and publicly with Russia since the summer, but it is unclear whether a closer alliance with Russia and China would benefit Turkey politically or economically. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Osman Orsal/ReutersRussia's President Vladimir Putin (front L) and Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (front R), with Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia (L) and Ahmet Davutoglu (C) of Turkey in the background. Davutoglu has since been replaced by Binali Yıldırım.</div></div></div>"Erdogan's weathervane foreign policy characterized by frequent U-turns is not based neither on values nor principles," said Erdemir, a former member of Turkish parliament. He noted that Erdogan made the same announcement about possible SCO membership during a November 2013 meeting with Putin, yet never acted on it.Michael Kofman, an expert on Russian and Eurasian affairs and fellow at the Wilson Center, said that the SCO is "not a cohesive economic or political block" and would offer little to Turkey in practice other than to "instill the perception that the West is somehow 'losing Turkey' and should chase Erdogan to get it back."<h2>'A rogue and dysfunctional' ally</h2>Complicating the Western temptation to write off Erdogan's comments as empty threats, however, is Turkey's recent deal with the EU to help stem the flow of refugees trying to enter Europe from Syria. "Erdogan knows that the EU views Turkey as critical to staunching the flow of refugees into Europe," said Koplow of the Israel Policy Forum. "He has a long history of making these types of threats in order to pressure Europe into concessions of various sorts. It's a gambit that will probably be successful if recent history is any guide."Over the summer, the EU agreed to pay Turkey €3 billion - and German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to speed up Turkey's EU bid - if Turkey pledged to harbor the vast amount of refugees and migrants seeking asylum in Europe.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">ReutersA US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle from the 48th Fighter Wing lands at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. Turkey gave the US permission to use Incirlik as a base for anti-ISIS operations in July 2015.</div></div></div>Turkey's entry into the SCO would also complicate its relationship with NATO. "In theory, SCO membership would not require Turkey's exit from NATO," geopolitical expert Ian Bremmer, president of the political risk firm Eurasia Group, told Business Insider on Tuesday. "In practice, however, it would severely strain Ankara's ties with other NATO members."Ultimately, however, Bremmer believes Erdogan is just looking for leverage."Erdogan wants the US to rely less on the Syrian Kurds, and to extradite Gulen, rather than a signal of a historic and strategic shift away from the West," he said, noting that many existing SCO members don't necessarily even want Turkey to join."Erdogan himself said yesterday relations with the US and NATO are on track, so I think there's lots of smoke, no fire here," he added.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Thomson ReutersTurkey's President Erdogan arrives for the NATO Summit in Warsaw</div></div></div>Indeed, Erdogan told CBS over the weekend that Turkey is "moving in the same direction with NATO that we have always done." But July's failed coup appears to only have made him more determined to stomp out dissent, whether it's coming from his own citizens or from the international community.The FDD's Erdemir, meanwhile, predicted that Turkey's "gradual drift from NATO" will continue."Putin will make sure that this is a slow and painful process for Turkey and the transatlantic alliance," he said. "He knows that as a rogue and dysfunctional NATO ally, Turkey is of greater use to Moscow than as a defector to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-seal-hell-week-training-2016-11">Forget 'Hell Week' - a Navy SEAL reveals the hardest part of training</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="h0Z29hMzE6L-FUbTLLal5qmV-po1eCpa" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

NATO's second-largest military power is threatening a dramatic pivot to Russia and China

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>While Ukraine is the central point of conflict between Russia and NATO, economics may be the next battlefront.According to Robert Dannenberg, a Goldman Sachs security analyst and CIA veteran, Russia's President Vladimir Putin recognizes the importance of gaining power through international economic agencies. "Putin is conservative and nostalgic, but he also understands that it takes more than just rebuilding or modernizing your nuclear arsenal to create a bi-polar world. You need to have economic power," Dannenberg said during a Q&amp;A in a Goldman note.Russia seems far from realizing these goals. Lowered oil prices and economic sanctions by NATO due to the Ukraine conflict have crippled the Russian economy in the past few years.The country's bonds have been <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/moodys-cuts-russia-to-junk-2015-2">downgraded to junk status</a>, and its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-russian-q1-economic-contraction-less-than-feared-at-1.9-2015-5">GDP contracted 1.9%</a> in the first quarter of 2015. It does not seem that Russia is ready to flex its economic muscle. In spite of the weak economy, Russia is attempting to boost its fortune by allying with more friendly economic powers, particularly China, and burgeoning markets.According to Dannenberg, Putin's plan is twofold. The first objective is to create closer formal ties with countries that have similar economic interests. Last week Russia hosted the BRICS summit, a meeting of economic and political leaders from the growing powers of Brazil, India, China and South Africa. Russia is also a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which has 14 members including China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey.They've even <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/greece-is-flirting-with-russia-to-make-europe-jealous-2015-7">begun to court Greece</a> as an economic partner in Europe.Obviously based on those membership lists, Russia's main focus is maintaining strong ties with China. Dannenberg highlighted this the most important part of Putin's economic plan. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image"></div></div></div>"Putin knows that Russia's relative economic weakness means there is no possibility of achieving his vision without China's participation," said Dannenberg.He noted that Putin is willing to make serious concessions to achieve the goal."It is why he agreed to a natural gas deal with China in the spring of 2014 despite very disadvantageous terms for Russia," he said.In November, Russia and China struck a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-signs-gas-supply-deal-with-china-2014-11">deal to create pipelines</a> from Siberia into China and transport up to 38 billion cubic meters of gas a year and in April, Russia <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-learning-mandarin-in-the-tundra---russia-invites-china-into-oil-business-2015-4">sold a stake</a> in its Vankor oil fields to the Chinese in an unprecedented move.Russia plans take aim at international economic institutions Putin believes are controlled by NATO nations. Here's Dannenberg:This notion has already been picked up by the Chinese, who in recent months have made a push for the yuan's inclusion in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-knocking-on-door-of-imfs-major-league-us-wavers-2015-4">IMF's Special Drawing Rights</a> as a reserve currency or even pushing to use the SDR as the base for all investment instead of the US dollar.By connecting with China and other markets, Putin is expanding his conflict with the West from the streets of Ukraine to the economic markets of the world. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazing-facts-about-vladimir-putin-russia-president-2015-3">11 amazing facts about Vladimir Putin </a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="k4NTY1dDqFCsBpfiPjzGEUMzJURbWO-R" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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