Beijing Weighs How Far to Go in Backing Putin

“Chi­na’s top lead­ers have spent days weigh­ing how far Bei­jing should go to back Russ­ian Pres­i­dent Vladimir Putin and how to man­age a part­ner­ship many call a mar­riage of convenience as op­posed to one of con­vic­tion,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“With the threat of a Russ­ian in­va­sion of Ukraine loom­ing, Chi­na’s fi­nal ar­biter of power—the seven-mem­ber Polit­buro Stand­ing Com­mit­tee led by Pres­i­dent Xi Jin­ping—has largely dis­ap­peared from pub­lic view.”

“Be­hind closed doors, one topic of in­tense dis­cus­sion is how to re­spond to the Russ­ian-Ukraine cri­sis and back Mos­cow with­out hurt­ing Chi­na’s own in­ter­ests.”