Not sure to what you are referring. Russia has been America's adversary for 70 years (or depending on how one is counting, 90 years), so China's embrace of Russia is merely a continuation of the status quo.
Moreover, China put the screws to Russia on this deal, which is only marginally profitable for Russia (
Analysis - Russia-China gas deal creates benchmark for global market| Reuters ), so Russia is hardly grateful to China for buying its gas barely above cost. Russia was desperate, and China took advantage.
On the other hand, Vietnam has been hostile to the US for 50 years, but thanks to China, our relationship is growing warmer rapidly. This, even while Vietnam's leadership is overtly pro-China, but China couldn't help itself in discrediting that leadership.
In any case, I'll take that trade: we lose something that we never had anyway, in return for turning a former enemy.
hardly the whole picture, perhaps Russia was never your friend, but as it stands Russia is more friend than foe to us and a constant thorn in US' plans. Unless the goal was how can we piss off one more world power and let that country distract an already thinned force to supply additional capital and troops.
You been dealing with China too long, you think you can do the same to Russia as you are doing to us? We can withstand it and continue the game, for we are playing the long game, we won't make a move, not for a decade at least. But Russia won't take it.
Different countries different plans, we have different plans for every nation, for Philippines we use Coast guard to take islands, for Vietnam we force on the table, for Japan, we let them come to us, for Indonesia we let them be for now, for Thailand, we support them, for Cambodia and Laos, we build infrastructure and play on their hatred of Vietnam, for Malaysia, ok them like Indonesia we actually have the same plan, finally for Korea we continue to cooperate and build on something that we had for thousands of years.
US is just using the containment in different degrees, worst to ISIS, bad to Russia and ok to China, but containment only works if the country inside can be contained. I feel the 60% gig was to get China to make a move, but Obama didn't count on the patience we have with the whole China Sea situation.
Vietnam in the end won't go the American way, they are just using America to get more from us. If they really wanted to abandon China for America, well, then they wouldn't be Vietnamese, they understand the Asia dynamic, once they get the deal they can accept, and so it will end this America honey moon.
Keep in mind China is the top trading partner for ASEAN, and the top trading nation for most of them, now America is not going to displace us, and that is only going to increase as time goes on.
So in essence, you created one neutral nation in Russia into an enemy and is gaining nothing substantial in Asia, for as much as America likes to pretend it is an Asia power, it is not. Even Japan must come to us, and the reason isn't because they like us better than you. One of the reasons we can't really make too much headway into Mexico, cause we are not an American power.
If you feel temporary limited friendship with a minor nation that's just waiting for the best deal, and in exchange, alienates a world power to be a constant pain in your side is a good deal then yea.
BTW, I never said Russia was a friend, I just mean they will in effect have the same objective without the alliance, way more secure in my opinion than a piece of paper anyways.