Xi Jinping is subtler than Vladimir Putin—yet equally disruptive

Two years after Xi Jinping declared a “no limits" partnership with Vladimir Putin, and as the leaders meet again in Beijing on May 16th and 17th, the world is getting a good look at what China’s approach means in practice. It is not pretty. As we explain this week, Chinese firms are sustaining Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine by selling Russia items needed to make weapons. China’s coastguard is bullying vessels in the South China Sea, enforcing its bogus territorial claims. And China’s spies are allegedly meddling in Britain and elsewhere.

Mr Xi’s challenge to the world is more subtle than that posed by the warmongering Mr Putin. Yet it is still a problem. He craves a might-makes-right order, letting China do as it pleases. Its support for pariah states is meant to defy and divide the West, while avoiding a direct clash. Its “grey-zone coercion" in the South China Sea falls short of war, but is intended to weaken foes. China thinks these tactics can be sustained without tipping into conflict. The question for any country that supports global rules is how far to let Mr Xi go.

When it comes to Russia, China’s leader has already gone quite far. Mr Xi ignores Western pleas that he tone down his support for Mr Putin, viewing Russia as an indispensable partner in his campaign to dismantle the American-led order. The two countries have been deepening their military and trade ties. America, in turn, has been tightening sanctions, and imposing tariffs on China in other areas. Of most concern are Chinese components and machinery flowing to Russian arms manufacturers. Antony Blinken, America’s top diplomat, has said that Russia would struggle to carry on in Ukraine without China’s support. China is not a participant in the crisis, nor a