Xi Navigates Awkward Relationship With Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Feb. 4.
Photographer: Alexei Druzhinin/AFP/Getty Images
Xi Jinping is facing up to the awkward realities of navigating a “no limits” relationship with Vladimir Putin as Russia suffers key losses in its war with Ukraine.
The Chinese leader is stepping out onto the world stage for the first time in nearly 1,000 days. He’s seeking to project a vision of an alternate global order that can challenge the US and its allies. Instead, all eyes are on his meeting with Putin and precisely what the Russian president will ask of China.