Galia Lavi
Despite the warnings given by Moscow and the deployment of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border, to some extent the Russian invasion caught the world by surprise, although at least one country, China, allegedly knew about the Russian intentions in advance. Less than two weeks before the invasion, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted President Vladimir Putin at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The display of unity left an impression in the West of the emergence of a new axis facing the United States. Contrary to claims that President Xi asked/demanded his good friend Putin to postpone the invasion until the end of the Olympics, there have been growing estimates that China did not know of the Russian intentions, certainly not in full. Moreover, it appears that Beijing was also mistaken in its assessment of the situation after the outbreak of war, and while the cannons were roaring, China found itself caught up in its own struggle – over its status as a responsible power, the continuation of its relations with Europe and the United States, and most important, the image and status of the ruling Communist Party among the Chinese public.
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