China and Russia double down on bilateral relations

I think what the Chinese have found, what Xi Jinping has found, is that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has tarnished China's image internationally. The Chinese are now trying – from a public diplomacy perspective – trying to repair that image,

When Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the need to deal with China's rise are lumped together, China is incentivized to consolidate and enhance its relations with Russia, which is already quite strong,