China is under intense diplomatic pressure from the US and its European allies to pull its lifeline from an isolated Russia but, three weeks after the invasion of Ukraine, Beijing has shown few signs of abandoning its friends in the Kremlin.
Washington has driven Russia to the cusp of default since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, strangling its economy with sanctions and pulling the country from the global payments system.
Isolated, bleeding money and with its currency in freefall, Russia has grasped for the friendship of its giant southwestern ally — China.
And China appears to have reciprocated, despite the risks to its both reputation and its economic interests as the US-led sanctions unwind.
A senior US official on Monday voiced “deep concerns about China’s alignment with Russia” following talks in Rome between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, the Chinese Communist Party’s chief diplomat.
The discussions aimed to test the depth of China’s commitment to Russia as it struggles to vanquish Ukraine, with images of bomb-scarred buildings and refugees fleeing in their hundreds of thousands horrifying the world.
Since the war erupted, China has refused to condemn Putin’s actions – or even describe the invasion as a “war”.
Instead, as recently as last week Beijing called the partnership between the two “rock-solid”.
Moscow has dangled the prospect of cheap oil and gas to its energy-hungry neighbour, while the west vows to unhook itself from Russian hydrocarbons.
Analysts say President Xi Jinping’s challenge is to pick a pathway through the sudden chaos unleashed on the international order by Putin’s actions — and ensure China comes out ahead of its rival, the US.
“China is in it for self-interest, period. A weaker Russia is probably a Russia where you can do more that serves your interests, since you have more leverage,” said Alexander Gabuev, senior fellow at the Carnegie Center Moscow.
