As the diplomatic standoff between the West and Russia over Ukraine deepens, Russian President Vladimir Putin found a friendly audience in Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday, when the two leaders affirmed mutual grievances about the U.S.-led international order.
The significance of Putin and Xi’s meeting on the eve of the Beijing Winter Olympics was not lost on the United States, and Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said that Moscow and Beijing have grown more closely aligned. But if Russia chooses to invade Ukraine again, the move could “embarrass Beijing” because “it suggests that China is willing to tolerate or tacitly support Russia’s efforts to coerce Ukraine,” he told reporters Friday.
Ukraine was not mentioned in a sweeping joint document issued by Moscow and Beijing that framed their geopolitical ambitions — experts suggest the omission means China won’t give potential Russian aggression a blank check — but the statement complained about U.S.-led partnerships in the Asia-Pacific.