Following the recent setbacks suffered by Russia’s military in Ukraine, optimism has grown among Western analysts that China’s ties with its neighbor and ally may be fraying. Russian president Vlaidimir Putin’s acknowledgement, at last month’s summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization leaders in Uzbekistan, that China has “questions and concerns” about the conflict was widely read as a sign of the challenges facing the “no-limits” friendship, which the two countries had declared earlier this year. Later, after Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi met with Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba — their first direct encounter since Russia invaded Ukraine in February — he called for respect for the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of all countries, a form of words many interpreted as a quiet criticism of Russia’s aggression.  But are these real signs of cracks in the Beijing-Moscow nexus, or simply indications of the balancing act Beijing is having to p