Some early indications suggest that China may want to negotiate on behalf of the rest of the world with Russia on Ukraine. On March 1, Beijing issued a statement saying it “deplored” the outbreak of conflict and calling on Russia and Ukraine to find a solution.
China’s handling of its relationship with the Kremlin during the Ukrainian crisis offers some insights into how it manages strategic but, sometimes, inconvenient partnerships, and the degree of leverage it enjoys over its partners.
