The war in Ukraine has been an enormous gift from Russia to China, boosting the status of the yuan and opening up the Russian market for Chinese companies.

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine is accelerating the process of China edging out Russia from Central and Eastern Europe.

While China may not want to upend ties with Europe and the United States, it seeks to ensure that Russia remains a stable strategic partner. Providing Russia with dual-use components rather than finished weapons has allowed China to provide support for Russia while claiming plausible deniability.

One lesson is that China needs to prepare for a long conflict because the West lacks staying power.

Why the West Won’t Be Able to Drive a Wedge Between Russia and China

Beijing’s rush to embrace renewable energy—and Moscow’s reluctance—is a systemic threat to economic cooperation between the two countries.