Does China Quietly Have Russia’s Back in Invading Ukraine?

As Russia deploys troops in Russia-backed separatist territories in Ukraine, a major step toward what Western officials warned could be a full-scale invasion, its most important geopolitical partner, China, is taking an ambiguous stance—at least in public. 

Beijing has refrained from explicitly supporting or opposing Moscow’s aggression as tensions escalated over the past few days. As Russia faced a chorus of condemnations at the UN Security Council on Monday, Chinese officials made vague calls for restraint and peaceful solutions.

On the tightly controlled Chinese internet, state media have published subdued...