by Pepe Escobar

On Ukraine („the last battlefield in the Cold War“) and specifically Crimea, the (unspoken) official position by Beijing is absolute neutrality (re: the UN vote). Yet the real deal is support to Moscow. But this could never be out in the open, because Beijing is not interested in antagonizing the West, unless heavily provoked (the pivoting becoming hardcore encirclement, for instance). Never forget; since Deng Xiaoping („keep a low profile“) this is, and will continue to be, about China‘s „peaceful rise“. Meanwhile, the Western dogs bark, and the Sino-Russian caravan passes.