Shane Leary joins Miles Yu to discuss the controversy that erupted in Hong Kong and Mainland China when Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi missed a game due to injury, and the claims of CIA coordination from CCP officials that followed. They then discuss waning support for Ukraine, and how this fits into the broader adversarial relationship between the US and China. Finally, they discuss a recent phone call between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, and the state of Russia-China relations today.