China evaluates partnership with Russia

China’s absence from the forum in Switzerland that could mark the beginning of the end of the war is hardly an attractive choice for Beijing. Xi can certainly make Putin an offer to end the hostilities, but the Chinese leader cannot be sure that the timing is right for such a forceful initiative. In the larger picture, Russia’s frontal attacks on Chasiv Yar may not even register for China, but the expansion of defense production in the European Union and the United States certainly does. The tide of the war has shifted several times over its 800 days, and the Chinese leadership may feel that it is set to change again with the recommitment of Western support to Ukraine.