Commentary The warm glow of China’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and at the Beijing summit this month between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping was defined by both leaders as the acme of the Sino-Russian relationship. At the summit, the leaders pledged to work together to address many issues. However, the flowery phrases, saccharine remarks, and modest agreement cannot mask some unpleasant considerations regarding their partnership. The two leaders pledged that their cooperation “has no limits” and “no forbidden areas of cooperation.” As the Ukraine crisis heats up, the Sino-Russian relationship seems stronger. But that is an illusion. Both Russia and China seek to take advantage of their relationship without clearly defining its nature. In October 2019, Putin called it “alliance-like,” and in 2021, he toned it down by saying that “unlike NATO countries, we are not creating any closed military alliance or any military bloc between Russia and …