[Marguerite]

“Russia will get its comeuppance when it realizes that dealing with the Asian East is not as pleasant and easy as dealing with the European West.”

Russia has been dealing with China long before the West. It started in the 50ies.

[Cossak]

No, before WWI. Kharbin town was founded by Russians and big Orthodox church is there from those years. In 1945 Soviet Army defeated Japan Kwantung army and Chinamen remember that. Japans murdered about 20 mln Chinamen, they conducted experiments on bacteriological weapons on China people. There is memorial to Soviet pilots on central square of Changchoon town, old China capital. After WWII Soviet Union made big investments in China industry. Was in Suifenghe town in February, they demonstrated on TV old Soviet films in hotel where I stayed.