Why Vladimir Putin is not a pariah in China

For generations China’s people have been told that the outside world is—rather often—an unsafe and disappointing place. Communist Party ideologues teach that foreigners’ quarrels are best understood as contests of strength and self-interest. Relentlessly, official speeches and news reports cast doubt on the notion that other countries’ actions are explained by moral values, whatever outsiders claim. China is presented as an exception: a peace-loving giant that seeks only to do good.

Instilling cynicism about the world serves the party well. Without it, February 4th could be a ticklish anniversary for President Xi Jinping. It is a year since his declaration that China and Russia enjoy a “friendship without limits”, days before Vladimir Putin launched his blood-soaked, land-grabbing invasion of Ukraine.