, Columnist
Don’t Be Too Quick to Write Off Xi’s Awkward Putin Summit
The Chinese leader knows there are more downsides than upsides to this week’s Moscow visit. But he may be putting himself in position to oversee an eventual armistice in Ukraine.
The Putin friendship has cost Xi.
Photographer: Sergei Bobylyov/AFP/Getty Images
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Chinese President Xi Jinping has logged more air miles than all of his predecessors. Since becoming the country’s top leader in late 2012, he has made 45 trips to 69 countries, despite being grounded for nearly three years during the pandemic.
Xi’s diplomatic skills will be put to their toughest test on his current state visit to Russia, from March 20 to 22. Whether the trip can be counted a success or not, however, won’t become clear until long after he returns to Beijing.