Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, September 16, 2022. Credit: Sergei Bobylev via AP
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
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Increasingly, Democrats and Republicans believe that climate change and China pose a single interconnected challenge. As a result — and for the first time ever — a window is opening for bipartisan cooperation on climate policy. Historically progressive ideas like a 'carbon border adjustment mechanism' now have conservative champions, for instance. But with Washington's main focus on the Warming War with China, can it still save the planet?
A look at China’s electricity grid: how it works, who foots the bill, and how its structure leads to power crunches and expensive prices despite the relative abundance of energy in China.
The academic talks about the changing understanding of Leninist regimes; common misperceptions of the post-Mao era; and what the collapse of the Soviet Union means for China today.
