The war in Ukraine will determine how China sees the world
And how threatening it becomes
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/images/print-edition/20220319_LDD001_0.jpg)
EACH DAY brings new horrors to Ukraine, where Russian artillery fire echoes like thunder across cities and towns. The metropolis of Kharkiv lies in ruins, victim of two weeks of bombardment. Mariupol, on the coast, has been destroyed.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “The alternative world order”
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