Read, once again, the statement of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on February 4, 2022, on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They denounced “interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states under the pretext of protecting democracy and human rights.” They called upon the outside world “to respect cultural and civilizational diversity and the rights of peoples of different countries to self-determination.” And they warned, angrily, that any discussion of democratic standards, which they called “attempts at hegemony,” would “pose serious threats to global and regional peace and
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