China\u2019s top leaders have spent days weighing how far Beijing should go to back Russian President Vladimir Putin and how to manage a partnership many call a marriage of convenience as opposed to one of conviction.<\/p>\n
With the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a> looming, China\u2019s final arbiter of power\u2014the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee led by President Xi Jinping \u2014has largely disappeared from public view.<\/p>\n Behind closed doors, according to people with knowledge of the matter, one topic of intense discussion is how to respond to the Russian-Ukraine crisis and back Moscow without hurting China\u2019s own interests.<\/p>\n The brooding has gone on for more than a week, practically since Mr. Putin got on a plane back to Moscow after meeting with Mr. Xi<\/a> and attending the Feb. 4 opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The unusually extended discussion underlines how urgent and delicate the situation is for Beijing despite Mr. Xi\u2019s public stance of support for Russia.<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n China's top leaders have spent days weighing how far to back Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine without hurting Beijing's own interests, people familiar with the issues say https:\/\/t.co\/9XjjsQhLOm<\/a><\/p>\n — The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) February 16, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n