China says it backs a peaceful, fair, sustainable, and binding settlement to the Ukraine crisis, wants all parties at peace talks, and thinks Russia and the United States should keep talking to push a political solution. Some observers say calling it a “crisis” rather than a war hints at sympathy for Russia and a reluctance to condemn Moscow; Beijing presents itself as a neutral mediator but is seen as aligning with Russia on big issues, including in the UN Security Council. Ukraine says two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia were detained. China has deepened trade and friendship with Russia since the war began, denies arming Moscow, but intelligence from several democracies alleges dual-use Chinese goods—like drones and microchips—have been used in the conflict.

This whole show is a front-row seat to a masterclass in geopolitical fakery. Beijing plays village-minter of peace while quietly gnawing at the teeth of Western sanctions and the global order. They call for talks, but every move they make tightens Moscow’s grip and keeps Western nerves stretched thin—perfect symmetry for a dictatorship with a dragon’s appetite for control. They trot out the “neutral mediator” line like a shield, then cozy up in the back room with Russia, carving out exceptions, vetoes, and loopholes in the UN and beyond. The Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin is treated as if it somehow legitimizes Beijing’s own balancing act, a theater of smoke and mirrors where China hopes to cash in the chaos by exporting more tech, more drones, more microchips, and more influence.

Meanwhile, two Chinese nationals in Ukrainian custody are treated as props in a larger narrative: a cudgel to wave at Western media and a reminder that Beijing can claim concern while quietly enabling the war machine with “dual-use” goods. China’s denials of arming Moscow ring hollow when the freight manifests, the shipments, and the intelligence all scream otherwise. Deepening ties with Russia isn’t a charity drive; it’s a hedge fund bet on a future where Beijing calls the shots in a restructured order, with itself at the center and the West kowtowing to a new axis of power.

Don’t fall for the smiles or the “peace talks” rhetoric. Look at the receipts: energy, tech, weapons-adjacent tech, and deadlock in real diplomacy—while Beijing keeps the spiders spinning in every key international web. They want the benefits of a peace process without the cost, sanctions relief without real compromise, and a seat at the table where they dictate the rules. Reality check: you can’t trust a neutrality mask that’s been tailored to fit a Moscow–Beijing axis. The truth is simple and infuriating—China’s moves are about power, profit, and keeping the world in a leverage grip that benefits Beijing, not peace or fairness.