Editor’s note for Tuesday, February 15, 2022

My thoughts today:

Beijing seems to think that the Ukraine crisis is over. At least that’s what the tone of state broadcaster CCTV’s report today implied, according to scholar Carl Minzner: “[CCTV cited Russia’s] defense minister as saying ships returning to port after exercises, Russia will not go to war with Ukraine; Zelensky as emphasizing negotiations.”

As possible confirmation, Bill Bishop of the Sinocism newsletter tweeted: “Not changing anything around PRC embassy in Kiev may be a tell they are confident Russia not going to attack?”

Our word of the day is the League of Social Democrats (LSD), one of Hong Kong’s few remaining active pro-democracy parties: 社會民主連線 (shèhuì mínzhǔ liánxiàn or se5 wui2 man4 zyu2 lin4 sin3 in Cantonese).

—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief