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What Keeps China From Stopping Russia’s War

China, far from being able to act decisively on the world stage, suffers from a chronic leadership void that leaves it paralyzed to act in the face of global crises.

Originally published at CNN

<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping look on during a signing ceremony in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019.</p>
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping look on during a signing ceremony in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

By experts and staff

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  • Ian Johnson
    Stephen A. Schwarzman Senior Fellow for China Studies

In this op-ed for CNN, Ian Johnson explains why China’s foreign policy remains so myopic, unable to rise to the challenges of the moment:

“The war in Ukraine has prompted renewed appeals for China to get involved in an international crisis, with commentators discussing how the country is well-placed to negotiate an end to the fighting. Politicians have taken up the call too: the Ukrainian foreign minister reportedly asked China to get involved, while on Tuesday European leaders video-called Chinese leader Xi Jinping in an effort to keep them in the loop.

These ideas all make good sense—but are likely to fail. That’s because China, far from being able to act decisively on the world stage, suffers from a chronic leadership void that leaves it paralyzed to act in the face of global crises.“

You can read the full article here.