How the Ukraine war brought China and Russia closer together

As countries around the world ramped up sanctions on Russia in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it became clear that the Russian president still had a powerful friend in Xi Jinping.

As countries around the world ramped up sanctions on Russia in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it became clear that the Russian president still had a powerful friend in Xi Jinping. The Chinese leader, who declared a “no limits” partnership with Russia weeks before the full-scale invasion, set a policy of decrying sanctions and continuing to strengthen ties with Putin. On Thursday, Xi welcomed the Russian president to China for a two-day state visit — their fourth in-person meeting since Russia’s onslaught in Ukraine began. The war has driven the two leaders and their economies closer together — with trade hitting record levels last year as Russia upped its imports of key commodities from China and Chinese buyers lapped up discounted Russian fuel. The United States has said Chinese exports of products like machine tools and microelectronics are enabling Russia to bolster the defense industrial base powering its war in Ukraine, and official data show hefty increases of related goods that are consistent with those claims. China has repeatedly defended its trade with Russia as part of normal bilateral relations. It also says it maintains a neutral position on the war and plays no other role than seeking peace. Here’s how the two sides have upgraded their ties since February 2022.