So maybe China doesn't want any part of this and is telling Putin to back off?

[Quixote1818]

Without China Russia would be totally isolated!!!! They would be totally fucked financially. Maybe China sees it's going badly and how bad Putin looks to the world. China may not want to be seen as dealing with a mass murdering lunatic?

[Effete Snob]

1. China will take Taiwan

China will do nothing, and will take notes.

[SheilaAnn]

2. I was just thinking the exact same thing. Other than TFG and his buds, Putin is coming off very

poorly and not winning hearts and minds of the global world. I think he's going to quit/call it off in the near future after his tantrum fades.

[PortTack]

3. China stated b4 the invasion that Russia needed to find a diplomatic solution

Doesn’t sound like they have pootie’s back the way he is claiming.

They really cannot afford to totally piss off the US!!

[abqtommy]

4. China and Russia shoulda thought a long time ago about how much they need world

markets. It's too late for them now.

[Johonny]

5. Chinese economy isn't that great at the moment

It wouldn't take much to tank it further.

[Metaphorical]

6. China is unlikely to be anything more than neutral

They indicated they would buy Russian oil. However, as the only buyer, they can go very low on what they pay, even well below market rates. China is not going to say Nyet to the oil, but they also have other suppliers, and have reasonable reserves.

I expect rates for oil globally will go up some, likely over $100 a barrel for a while, but Russia's primary market is the EU, which is mostly synonymous with NATO. Russia is also the second-largest supplier of oil after Saudi Arabia, but that status could very quickly be eclipsed, especially as OPEC still has capacity.

Also, Xi would be a fool to attack Taiwan now. If China did attack Taiwan, they would do it when political tensions were at an ebb, not when everyone is at heightened alert.

To those who think Biden should be doing something, he's doing it - providing intelligence where he can, mobilizing allies, likely supplying drones, arms and armaments through other countries such as Turkey. He's not going to send in armed troops or aircraft, not unless this is an action to be taken by NATO as a whole.