Putin’s Struggles Are a Teachable Moment for China
While Xi Jinping can’t be happy that his chief ally has been severely weakened, the Chinese leader is learning lessons too valuable to ignore.
Wagner fighters undercut the Russian state’s monopoly on violence.
Photographer: Roman Romokhov/AFP/Getty Images
Whether or not Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has strategically benefited China remains thoroughly debatable. But one thing is clear: Russia’s struggles over the past 16 months have taught Chinese President Xi Jinping many valuable lessons. If applied well, they may strengthen his hold on power.
The latest instructive moment for Xi has been the short-lived armed rebellion by the mercenary Wagner Group, led by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s former ally, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Although the farcical insurrection folded bloodlessly, it has nevertheless humiliated Putin and revealed the cracks in his regime.