Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia

The Spectator ‘Win-win W situation’

“Having Ha positioned himself as a potential peacemaker, Xi clearly c believes the war in Ukraine Uk presents him with aw win-win situation – or even eve a win-win-win one. His thinking thin is that, if Vladimir Putin Put ends up clawing some kind kin of victory, the West will be discredited and is likely to descend into recrimination and introspection. In other words: a win for Xi.

“However, if Ukraine triumphs, then Russia’s slump into Chinese vassalage will be accelerated: another win for China. Russia’s economy is already trading a dependence on the dollar for one on the yuan: many in Moscow worry that where the economy leads, policy follows.” Mark Galeotti

Sky News ‘Junior partner’

“Putin’s disastrous war in Ukraine has seen economic ties cut with multiple nations in the West. Instead, there is more and more dependence on just one neighbour in the East. Russia is fast becoming China’s junior partner, increasingly subordinate to the whim of Beijing.” Dominic Waghorn

Evening Standard ‘Chronic liability’

“Xi and the Chinese Communist Party do not want Putin to be beaten in Ukraine. A broken Russia, dependent on China, would become a chronic liability. Accordingly, China is prepared to supply machinery for war, drones and guidance systems, but not lethal materiel such as cruise missiles.” Robert Fox

The Guardian ‘Global statesman’

“While Xi may have all but given up on the hope of convincing the west that China is neutral in the Ukraine crisis, at home, and to countries in the global south, he is projecting an image of being a global statesman.” Amy Hawkins