Days before Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “no-limits partnership.” At the time, few imagined it would become central to sustaining Russia’s war effort. Nearly four years later, some in Washington still cling to the notion that this alignment is shallow or reversible. But Beijing and Moscow understand themselves to be engaged in a common struggle against the U.S.-led democratic international order.

Ukraine is a critical theater for that effort.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, no country has done more to sustain Putin’s war than China. Cut off from European energy markets, Moscow has redirected its oil and gas exports eastward, selling to China at steep discounts. The revenue has helped stabilize Russia’s economy and finance its war effort. At the same time, China has become indispensable to........

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