https://www.newsweek.com/china-russia-trade-problems-payment-settlement-ruble-yuan-sanctions-1881709 No real surprise here....RuZzia= China's cheap wh***., and will be for decades as more Orc conscripts get whacked in Ukraine and Siberia/Far East gets more depopulated. I'm hearing India is also turning off the valve gradually.....both India and China see RuZZfascista is a sinking ship...and the amount of cheap resources to be milked is ever more appealing?.....or just not worth had hassle?....LOL.
The Communist Chinese desperately want to continue trading with the west. That means they are dropping Russia like a hot potato because of western sanctions. They have looked and decided the tiny Russian market is not worth losing the vastly larger western market.
BTW Russia's economy is EXTREMELY dependent upon oil refineries yet Russia's refining output is down 45% because of Ukrainian drone attacks.
80% of Chino economy directly connected to US/EU....I doubt the CCP is looking to jeopardize that even a small percentage.
Does China want Russia to fall at the feet of the United States in order to China be left alone with American superior nuclear power?
What I can see is basically a 2 superpower face off in the not to distant future. Russia used to be one....it needs to pick side...sooner rather than later.