U.S. warns China against a superpower proxy war in Ukraine

The FT’s Demetri Sevastopulo reports that the U.S. has warned allies in a diplomatic cable that China has “signaled its willingness” to provide Russia with weapons. Those include surface-to-air missiles, per the report.

While China’s next moves remain uncertain, fears are growing that Washington and Beijing could end up arming either side in a brutal land war — potentially escalating and prolonging it.

Far beyond the battlefield, such a move would herald an even more adversarial era in U.S.-China relations, says Hal Brands of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Sanctions and economic decoupling would “find a new gear,” and remaining hopes of a constructive relationship would evaporate.