When we talk about the West, we are talking about the USA and its vassal state allies. And the US has made it abundantly clear that it views both Russia and China as "great power adversaries".
The US and UK were not friends with Russia in 1941, but the perceived mutual threat of Nazi Germany brought them together in a powerful alliance that was also "unlimited" in scope. The US Lend Lease program with Russia was unprecedented. And Stalin Roosevelt and Churchill worked together as much as any three countries could.
Yes, Russia and China were adversaries for decades, and that served America's interests. Then the West decided to go after Russia. NATO enlargement is mirrored with US encroachment on China in the Far East. US/NATO provocation in Eastern Europe is mirrored with US/AUKUS provocation in the Far East.
Russia and China know that the US and its Western allies are out to destroy BOTH of them, and so their alliance is really the most powerful and durable kind of alliance that can ever exist - namely, an lliance formed of NECESSITY in order to confront a common threat.
China's "warning" to Rusdsia was not really a warning but an observation and, in a way, a confirmation of Russia's official nuclear posture - namely,, that they will not be the first to use nuclear weapons, but if someone uses nukes against them they will retaliate in kind.
This is an important point, because if there is a war between NATO and Russia, NATO will not be able to win by conventional means. If there is a WWIII fought in Russia/Eurasia, and both sides see it as existential, the West will be the first to use nukes, because they will not be able to field the troops. logistics and conventional weapons necessary to defeat Russia in their own back yard. The US, for its part, will not be able to contribute substantially via an "expeditionary" force. Such a force will be reliant on supply ships that will make big, fat, easy targets for Russia's hypersonic missies. And NATO forces in Europe will run out of ammunition in a week.
You seem to be labouring under a misapprehension that Russia is "weak". The opposite is true. Russia has been on a war footing since September 2022. Their military industrial facilities are running 24/7, and their troop levels are surging (in the wake of the Moscow terror attack 20,000 men volunteered in just a few days).
77% of Russians support the war in Ukraine, and a vast majority is aware that they are ALREADY at war with NATO and the West. They are ready for it. The Western populations are not.
