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    The battle for Ukraine could test the limits of closer ties between China and Russia

    The Cold War rivals have grown much closer in recent years. But China's ties to Russia are now becoming a bigger liability than Beijing expected.
    by Emily Feng Mar 04, 2022 5 minutes
    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their meeting in Beijing, on Feb. 4.

    BEIJING — Lisa is a Ukrainian student and model who now lives in Canada after spending several years in China. Until recently, she shared videos of food and fashion with her 400,000 followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

    But when Russia invaded Ukraine last month, she switched to posting Chinese-language updates on the conflict, while pushing back on a flurry of Russian disinformation on social media.

    The reaction she got was unexpected.

    "Every day, I can receive thousands of messages where people say, 'I wish you death, go back to Ukraine and die together,'" she told NPR. Those threats are why Lisa requested we only use her first name.

    The vitriol she encountered is indicative of the close but uneasy relationship between China and Russia. Inside

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