I think China has a interest in keeping Russia as a vassal state if Russia falls that far. They have a lot of useful resources and it’s easier to own them in that way while providing “protection” than to have to deal with annexing and everything that comes with that.
South Eastern parts could be annexed fairly easily, true. But I don’t know if there are any interesting resources in the rest of Russia that China has interest in.
What makes you think that China would step in?
China could join in and take South-Eastern parts of Russia, where the poulation are very asian, and were historically Chinese aligned.
I think China has a interest in keeping Russia as a vassal state if Russia falls that far. They have a lot of useful resources and it’s easier to own them in that way while providing “protection” than to have to deal with annexing and everything that comes with that.
South Eastern parts could be annexed fairly easily, true. But I don’t know if there are any interesting resources in the rest of Russia that China has interest in.