“For the Russians, that’s spooky since we are their only existential threat.”
There is also a Russian joke about China, that they have three plans to invade Russia - A large scale plan, a medium option, and a small scale plan (where they infiltrate very many small groups, of just a few million each).
The Russian far East is already demographically challenged by the number of ethnic Chinese, and the communist Chinese Government has their fingers in all their business.
It is a shame though, how the historic opportunity to fully integrate post-communist Russia into the West has failed in so many instances.
Things never stay still however, so perhaps some of our natural affinities may improve that in the future.
Good observations all. And that joke is a good one. Hadn’t heard that one before. A “few small units” of a couple of million. LOL
Trivia, Hitler killed around 4 million a year when you include reprisals against populations, open air starvation pens for Soviet POWs, euthanisia, along with the holocaust etc.
At that pace it would take Adolph 350 years to work his way through China.
China should scare any right thinking Russian. And sage observation about Chinese investment and influence moving in.The Chinese economy is about 10 times the size of the Russian one.