[filloooo]

Your geopolitical views are so naive it's hard to take seriously.

EU is now an unwilling dumping ground for China, hostility and paranoia are growing by the day now that China is no longer a lucrative market itself and is pursuing its interests outside commerce, the cordial days are numbered.

Russia would never be subservient to China, once the war ends Russia would be back being a geopolitical player because of its vast natural resources, and they are already import substituting even Chinese products.

Russia can turn to the west to be a real western country whenever they see fit, the eternal fear for China.

This is why China is going as far as it can to accommodate Putin, even souring it's relations with the EU which isolated itself.

In this sense, it is China being "subservient" to Russia.

[Tade0]

Russia recovering from this invasion they started is the naive take.

It's currently selling its resources at a steep discount and that is unlikely to change because its customers are only in it for the bargain they're getting.

[filloooo]

Russia has always been selling it's oil and gas at a discount, that's why it had so much clout in the EU and CIS, nothing new, it's literally its geopolitical strategy since the Soviet Union.

All these talk of cutting off Russia won't last more than a year after the war, nobody refuses cheap energy, certainly not the cash strapped Europeans.

They'll probably be the world leader in critical metals and rare earth deposits if they invested more on prospecting and the ice melts.

[warkdarrior]

Ah, yes, Russia can become a "real western country", "geopolitical player", strong economy "substituting even Chinese products" any time it wants! Just like an alcoholic can quit any time he wants.

[mekdoonggi]

I am certainly not an expert. What resources or military capability does Russia have that China could not eclipse, replace, or source from a partner?

What would it mean for Russia to become a "real" western country? Why would China fear that?

Whatever happens, Russia needs to sell resources to stay afloat. I have a hard believing that if it came down to it, China couldn't just seize Vladivostok.