Comrades? Xi, Putin, and the challenge to the West

The relationship between Russia and the People’s Republic of China has been the subject of much discussion amongst scholars, journalists and and policy-makers ever since the two countries began mending their fences in the 1980s and 1990s. Developments over the last twenty years from the rise of Putin and Xi through to Russia’s decision to launch a full scale invasion of Ukraine on the 24th February 2022 has made that debate all the more important, with on the one side a number of authors claiming the relationship was merely ‘convenient’ and would not last, and others insisting – correctly as it turned out – that it was precisely what the two leaders described it as being: ‘rock solid’. But what continues to hold these two countries together, what impact has their partnership had on Russia’s conduct of the war, and how is it helping reshape the world order?