now on bbc news.unspun world withjohn simpson hello and welcome to unspun world. this is kyiv, the centre of the city, just a fairly short time after a series of missiles have hit it. one landed here but it doesn t look to me, completely untutored, as though it s a full scale missile. this looks to me like it s a drone attack. we are in an area of the city which is mostly kind of ministries and official buildings and museums and so on, and it looks as though there was an attack on a specific car, which has just been taken away. details, we don t know any more of, but we can assume, i think, that this is part at least of russia s revenge for the attack on the kerch bridge between russia and crimea last saturday. there is a feeling that now we are at a crossroads, that there is a chance of further escalation in this war. what does president putin s good friend xijinping of china think about russia s feeble performance in this war? the government is now toning down its once very
meanwhile, china has seemed to be eyeing up the possibility of invading taiwan, something at least as difficult as russia s efforts to invade ukraine. for the communist party of china, their whole raison d etre, according to their own storyline, was to make china strong and become a strong country again. and that strength has to be symbolised by the reunification of the country, the task they set themselves, and the ultimate goal is to unify the country with taiwan. and so if that s not done, you cannot be seen as a great leader. to have some sort of invasion scheme or to back away from it. now he sees the difficulties that russia has experienced in attacking ukraine. well, many of the experts i ve talked to, they do agree. they think china will have to recalibrate whatever plan they had before.
giving defence agreements, it is giving arms to african countries. the biggest purchaser of arms from russia is africa. - meanwhile, china has seemed to be eyeing up the possibility of invading taiwan, something at least as difficult as russia s efforts to invade ukraine. for the communist party of china, their whole raison d etre, according to their own storyline, was to make china strong and become a strong country again. and that strength has to be symbolised by the reunification of the country, the task they set themselves, and the ultimate goal is to unify the country with taiwan. and so if that s not done, you cannot be seen as a great leader. to have some sort of invasion scheme or to back away from it. now he sees the difficulties that
the reunification of the country. the task they set themselves and the ultimate goal is to unify the country with taiwan. and so if that s not done, you cannot be seen as a great leader. if xi jinping were to go on to a third term and beyond, he wants to be seen or be remembered in history as a great leader, something has to be done. so whether he can do it or not, we don t know. but those are the goals, i think, from his point of view or something he has to at least try. try in what sense? i mean, to have some sort of invasion scheme or to back away from it now he sees the difficulties that russia s experienced in attacking ukraine? well, many of the experts i ve talked to, they do agree, they think china will have to recalibrate whatever plan they had before.