The Russia-China thing is a super interesting topic. It was always the case that Russia needed a strong industrial power with which it could exchange its resour

The Russia-China thing is a super interesting topic. It was always the case that Russia needed a strong industrial power with which it could exchange its resources. Resources too big even for a strong Russian industrial base and for much of history its shipping capacity. The partner industrial power could only be either Germany (since the late 19th century) or China (since let's say the 1970s). Either one would do but China is now by any measure the more trustworthy partner. Done. Germany and Europe haven't even begun to feel the pain of their choice.