The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, is not known to make unscripted comments in public. So when on Monday, he described his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as his dear friend and that the two of them as driving some of the world’s biggest changes in 100 years, he was sending a clear message. Mr Xi made those comments while visiting the Kremlin days after the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued an arrest warrant against Mr Putin for alleged war crimes during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. More than support for Mr Putin, Mr Xi’s visit signals China’s growing desire for a say in the way the world order is shaped and a willingness to deploy hard-nosed diplomacy in those efforts. Since the end of the Cold War, the agenda for war and peace has been set almost exclusively by Washington and its Western allies. Beijing is now elbowing its way into the global disputes, emerging as an alternative pole that can help determine the outcome of major — hot and cold — wars. Earlier this month, China mediated a historic agreement between the traditional arch-enemies, Saudi Arabia and Iran, under which the Middle Eastern giants have each agreed to reopen embassies in the other’s capital, while also resurrecting a security cooperation pact.

Mr Xi has similarly suggested a peace plan to halt hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. On the face of it, there are very few parallels between that war and the tensions in the Middle East. China is genuinely seen as neutral by the Middle East’s three big players — Saudi Arabia, Iran and Israel. That gives its mediation attempts credibility that the United States of America cannot bring to the table. Beijing has, however, clearly leaned towards Moscow in the Ukraine war. That China now has demonstrated ability to help bridge seemingly irreconcilable differences means that Ukraine has been open to dialogue with Beijing. Mr Xi is expected to speak to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, soon. None of this is altruistic on China’s part. This is power play on display, with China making clear it will follow norms that work for it. In that, China is following in the footsteps of the US, which has long placed itself above the rules it sets for others. How that affects the global balance of power is unclear. In the meantime, if Washington does not like what it is seeing, it only needs to look in the mirror.