The image of Chinese reporter Lu Yuguang, who has been embedded with the Russian army, reporting from the bombardment of Mariupol, is striking: he stands in rubble, dressed in a helmet and flak jacket, the only foreign journalist on the frontline with exclusive access to the Russian side of the fighting.
This rare level of access has prompted questions about the nature of China’s relationship with Russia, and whether China’s special ties to Russia leave it in a position to influence Russia where other countries have been unable to.
Guardian leader writer Tania Branigan tells Nosheen Iqbal that although China and Russia share strategic interests, their economic interests diverge, and that this is where Chinese president Xi Jinping may have some leverage in swaying Russian president Vladimir Putin – should China choose to exert it.
Photograph: Alexei Druzhinin/AP
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