Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 upended international politics and scrambled the strategic calculations of many states, few more seriously than China. While benefitting from its deep economic linkages with the United States and European Union, China retains considerable influence in the Global South and has seen its “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination” with Moscow blossom. Combined, that has put China in prime position to consolidate its influence as a world power. But amid the jolt to global affairs since Russia launched its war against Ukraine, Beijing is now scrambling to limit the fallout of the conflict on its core strategic and economic interests.

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Jeffrey Mankoff is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, Center for Strategic Research at National Defense University. The views expressed are the authors own and do not reflect those of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.