When Russian President Vladimir Putin touches down in China for a closely watched two-day state visit May 20, he will encounter an unbalanced relationship that has grown in Beijing’s favor, tilted by shifts in global energy supplies and Moscow’s increasing friction with the West. Beijing’s leverage is being tested in negotiations to pipe Siberian gas to China that have dragged on for a decade, but that both sides have said they want to conclude in time for an agreement to be signed during Mr. Putin’s visit next week. A Chinese foreign ministry official said Thursday that pricing remains a sticking point. Gazprom , Russia’s natural-gas company, described the talks as being “in the final stage” after a meeting between its chief executive and a senior Chinese energy official. Mr. Putin has already leaned to Beijing in one respect. While he and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Shanghai, more […]