Commentary As the Russian invasion of Ukraine risks escalating into a nuclear war, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) refuses to make a clear-cut commitment to distance itself from the aggressor. This is clear following the video call between President Joe Biden and his counterpart Xi Jinping on March 18. However, in the lead-up to the meeting, thanks to strong international pressure against Beijing extending a lifeline to Moscow, the CCP made slight adjustments to its pro-Russia stance. For example, the state-owned CCTV unprecedentedly carried a news item detailing Russia’s casualties since the invasion, citing official Ukrainian sources. The Chinese ambassador to Kyiv praised the strong unity of the Ukrainian people. The control of domestic social media was relaxed to allow some criticism of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, previously upheld as “Putin the Great.” These adjustments led some to think that the CCP might adopt a more balanced view to ward …