Leaders | The challenge posed by China

Xi Jinping is subtler than Vladimir Putin—yet equally disruptive

How to deal with Chinese actions that lie between war and peace

TOPSHOT-CHINA-RUSSIA-DIPLOMACY
Photograph: Getty Images

TWO YEARS after Xi Jinping declared a “no limits” partnership with Vladimir Putin, and as the leaders meet again in Beijing on May 16th and 17th, the world is getting a good look at what China’s approach means in practice. It is not pretty. As we explain this week, Chinese firms are sustaining Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine by selling Russia items needed to make weapons. China’s coastguard is bullying vessels in the South China Sea, enforcing its bogus territorial claims. And China’s spies are allegedly meddling in Britain and elsewhere.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The challenge of Xi Jinping ”

From the May 18th 2024 edition

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