Brokering peace in Ukraine would be good for Xi and China: is he adroit enough to pull it off? | Yu Jie

The war is a test of China's ability to manage its interests. Putin, Zelenskiy, the EU, the global south: it's trying to keep them all on side

The Moscow summit between the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was described as a visit that may change the world order by many international media. Xi's visit came at a time of great need for isolated Putin, but the rest of the world remains puzzled about precisely how far China will go in supporting Russia in its horrific war in Ukraine.

While China demonstrates a willingness to maintain the status quo in its relationship with its biggest nuclear neighbour, Xi has still not provided a straightforward answer on exactly what kind of support is on offer, beyond deepening bilateral trade ties and elusively worded further coordination in international affairs. Nor is there a clear next step for Beijing's peace plan" until a call between Xi and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, takes place.

Dr Yu Jie is a senior research fellow on China in the Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House