Let be clear.
Russia will never entertain any of it's former USSR allies that it shares a common border to join NATO.
The issue is the are many unresolved border and related conflicts.
Joining NATO mean those countries will get backing of NATO allies against Russia.
For example Ukraine - has many ethnic russians - many of whom the Ukrainian (polish) have been fighting for some years now
Crimea is another example - and many others.
China - I think you're mistaken - very mistaken. China wealth is real. Ask the US treasury. Ask the EU treasury. They both hold 3 trillion of hard cold cash that belong to China. Kenya alone has 10B dollars.
China GDP per capita is approaching 10K.
China undervalues the Yuan.
If it allows Yuan to float freely and find it base - it's economy would double as the yuan will double
China overtook US in 2014 in GDP PPP.
If it stops manipulating it's currency - to make it's export competitive - it's GDP would double overtaking US by far.
China is not in hurry to display it's strength.
China is playing for long term - submarine attack on the Western Imperialist's.
I'm confused. Contiguous neighbors are a threat to Russia why?
And I keep telling you Pundit to just make one visit to China and you'll stop these stories of China becoming a super power anytime during our lifetimes. The per capita income in China is what $8,000 dollars a year? (nobody even knows the real number because there's no real rule of law there)-- The CCP controls everything. Per capita income in the US is what? $65,000 per year?
It'll take China 300 years to catch up with the per capita incomes in the west. China is nowhere close to matching the west in ANYTHING (militarily, scientifically, creatively, innovation-wise) Outside of Beijing and Shanghai, it's a country of 3rd world peasants put on lockdown by a regime that doesn't allow freedom (no google, no twitter, no facebook, no instagram) no CNN all are blocked in China. It's the only way for them to control those masses of poor rural Chinese.
The dollar became the world's reserve currency because the US WON world war II. What war has China won?