CIA Director Bill Burns once called Vladimir Putin an “apostle of payback.” But what about Putin's fellow autocrat wingman, Xi Jinping?
Xi and China are now in an awkward spot, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World. The Chinese are trying to condemn the invasion of Ukraine without condemning Russia, the invader.
Although the Chinese media and universities are firmly behind Moscow, Ian Bremmer says Beijing has many reasons to be careful about supporting its toxic BFF.
The thing is, China has much bigger problems at home. Economic growth has slowed down due to Xi's zero-COVID policy. Also, Russia ain't much of a trading partner compared to the US and the EU.
Still, there’s no economic calculus that’ll likely deter Xi on Taiwan, which has become a bigger concern for China given Putin's recent failures in Ukraine.
Watch the GZERO World episode: China’s discontent & the Russia distraction
