CHINA WILL BE THE BIG WINNER FROM RUSSIA'S INVASION OF UKRAINE

The upside for China will be that as Russia becomes more economically and politically isolated, Beijing will seek to profit from its dilemma, walking a fine line to skirt international condemnation.

- JOHN DOBSON

If you want to find the most cynical and risible statement made in recent times, look no further than the “Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China on the International Relations..." issued on 4 February this year, the start of the 24th Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Presidents Putin and Xi Jinping met in closed session just prior to the Games, when Putin assured Xi that he would not attack Ukraine whilst the Games were in progress, so as not to deflect from Xi's glory in holding the event. Sure enough, just days after the closing ceremony, Russian forces entered the sovereign territory of a neighbour and started an unprovoked war that continues to the present day, with no end in sight.