China is breaking with a decade of self-reliance and buying 24 Fighter Jets and four submarines from Russia.  No wonder Vladimir Putin was so happy to receive China’s new President Xi Jinping in Moscow last week.  He's selling a lot of stuff to Beijing these days.

Two Lada-class subs will be built in Russia and the other two will be built in China.  And two-dozen Sukhoi Su-35 fighters will take some pressure off of China’s air defense while the Chinese-made Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter is readied to come on-line as early as 2017.

The two countries will also cooperate on bettering their missile technologies.

The increase in military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is seen as an answer to America’s military dominance. 

The state-run China Daily says, "Xi's decision to make Moscow the destination of his first official visit as China's president will give the US a sharp reminder that it is not the only power able to flex its muscles”.

Earlier, China and Russia announced a major energy deal to fuel China's expanding economy.