Immediately before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, China and Russia jointly declared their “friendship without limits.”

In the subsequent years of Russian military underperformance, it might be tempting to dismiss the Sino-Russian cooperation as empty rhetoric. However, drastic Chinese escalation, such as an invasion of Taiwan, which could be possible as early as 2027, could abruptly change things.

Still, some in Washington believe that Russia can be turned against China. This is a dangerous illusion, based on fundamental misunderstandings of China’s view of Russia as a strategic asset as well as the current Russian leadership’s willingness and ability to engage with the West.

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