At a high-stakes meeting in Moscow, China has to decide whether Putin's failure in Ukraine means it's time to cross a red line

Mon, 03/20/2023 - 08:15

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin meeting in Moscow in March 2023 — China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin together in Moscow on March 20, 2023.
Russian pool via AP

China's President Xi Jinping is in Moscow Monday for a state visit.
Some analysts believe China is poised to escalate its support for Russian in Ukraine.
Yet other say that Xi is seeking to act as peace broker in the war.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping landed in Moscow on Monday for a three-day meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

While there he will have to make a choice — maintain China's ambivalent position on Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine, or go in harder on its support for Russia.

In announcing Xi's visit, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said China would uphold "an objective and fair position" on the war in Ukraine and "play a constructive role in promoting talks for peace."