Massive use of conscripts by russia in the invasion of ukraine. Mirrors the composition of china's military which also relies heavily on conscription. I would guess china is using data collected from the invasion to better strategize their announced impending invasion of taiwan.

The west in the current era functions as a series of chinese vassal states. Russia is more independent than the united states. But Putin grovels to suit china's needs.

The big question is whether china will be able to survive when its safety net of global trade & beneficiaries dry up in the next impending economic crisis. Its wealth and GDP are built upon a foundation of ghost cities and questionable assets. Critical banking infrastructure has been failing for many years. They have bubbles in the form of evergrande and multi trillions in automobile related debt.