China's contradictory stance sees them support both Russia's security concerns and Ukraine's territorial integrity, but it 'isn't bothered by incoherence or hypocrisy', says Sky's Tom Cheshire in Beijing.
But there are signs that China has its doubts.
The most obvious is the incoherence of those statements: It is not backing this invasion, otherwise it would say so. And you get the sense it would rather it wasn't happening. The front page of the People's Daily, China's most important state-run newspaper, made no mention of the invasion - it led with a story about Xi Jinping writing a letter to a snowboarder. They will tolerate the invasion but do little beyond that.And in that sense, Russia has become a larger, more powerful version of North Korea for China.
China is frequently annoyed by Kim Jong-un's regime: It tests nuclear weapons close to the Chinese border, sometimes impounds Chinese fishing boats and tries to ransom them, and is generally a destabilising player in China's own backyard.Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video playerIt does so because North Korea keeps the democratic South Korea - and the American troops stationed there - at arm's length.
It distracts US attention, as well as giving Beijing leverage with Washington. Chinese help with Pyongyang comes at the cost of American concessions.Follow the Daily podcast on
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