Meanwhile, in Beijing…

Meanwhile, in Beijing…  "It's hard to overstate how much what happens in Russia has historically shaped thinking in China about their own country," Joseph Torigian of the Wilson Center wrote Wednesday on Twitter. "The birth of the Chinese Communist Party, the anti-rightist movement, the Cultural Revolution, Reform and Opening, policy toward ethnic minorities—all of these were shaped by what some Chinese thought the Russians were doing right or wrong," he says.

But China is not Russia. Xi Jinping's "war on corruption and the party's control over the power ministries mean real differences" with the Russian system. "Moreover, the Chinese likely believe that Putin is still the best chance for stability in Russia and see supporting him as one of the core foundations of the relationship. Some Chinese commentators have noted that Putin did emerge victorious quickly and with little blood spilt."