When Xi Jinping ascended to the pinnacle of Chinese power a decade ago, he saw Vladimir Putin as a strong leader who shared his hostility to the Western-dominated international system.
Mr. Xi referred to Mr. Putin as his “best, most intimate friend.”In the wake of the Wagner affair, Mr. Xi’s big bet on the Russian leader isn’t looking so safe.
Mr. Xi cannot afford to abandon Mr. Putin altogether.
If Mr. Xi is to achieve his strategic goal of surpassing U.S. strength around the world, he will need to rebalance his foreign policy to account for Mr. Putin’s vulnerabilities.
That may mean stronger Chinese support for ending a war that has backfired so severely on the Russian leader and a potentially less confrontational Chinese approach toward the United States and Taiwan.
Persons:
Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Xi, Mr, Putin, ”, Wagner, Xi’s, isn’t, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin’s
Locations:
Putin’s Russia, China’s, Russia, China, West, United States, Taiwan