WSJ: The leader Xi Jinping once called his ‘role model’ is now Beijing’s supplicant, and China is making Putin wait for the gas deal Moscow badly needs

More than four years of war and economic isolation have shifted the balance in Russia’s relationship with China.

Vladimir Putin, once a “role model” for Xi Jinping, has become a supplicant and junior partner, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Both sides are working to project an image of a strong and equal alliance.

But the partnership rests on a narrow foundation, the newspaper notes, and Russia and China have far more grounds for disagreement than may be apparent.

Meduza recaps the key points of the piece, which explains how far the balance has tipped toward Beijing and where the friction is showing. ...