Financial TimesFinancial Times

China has a fateful choice to make on Ukraine

By Gideon Rachman

06 Mar 2023 · 4 min read

Editor's Note

U.S. officials warn that China's leaders may move to send arms to Russia. It would put Washington and Beijing on a path of direct confrontation, writes the FT's Gideon Rachman.

Xi Jinping has called Vladimir Putin his best friend. But now the Russian leader is in urgent need of help from China. Putin’s army is bogged down in Ukraine and running short of ammunition.

Should Xi prove that he is a friend indeed by supplying Russia with weapons? China’s decision will say a lot about how it sees the future of the world.

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