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China's stance in the Ukraine crisis appears to be shifting. Before the Beijing Olympics Presidents Putin and Xi Jinping declared that that the friendship between Russia and China had 鈥渘o limits鈥�. However, on Tuesday, China said it was extremely concerned about the harm to civilians inflicted by the invasion. In its public pronouncements, the Chinese government has urged all sides to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.

Yun Sun from the Stimson Centre in the US, says that that concern is over the invasion's escalation and the potential for a war of attrition, which could lead to longterm instability. Ukraine has close trading ties with China - engines for China's aviation industry are made there, and they have close technology partnerships too. However, she thinks it unlikely that China would step in as a peacemaker, as their primary relationship is with Moscow, and that in some respects, with the US distracted by a war in Europe, it could support their geo-political ambitions.

Photo: Presidents Putin and Xi Jinping meet, 4 Feb 2022 Credit: EPA