I doubt this story, China needs Russian oil.
Sure China needs oil, but China can buy from a lot more places than Russia can easily sell to. That gives China by far the stronger hand to pay Russian a few kopeks on the ruble.
China does not NEED Russian oil. They have a number of suppliers happy to sell to them, like Iran. However Putin has been selling Russian oil at a 40% discount and accepting payments in Chinese yuan.
China will make a simple deal: Putin to hand over resources for China’s help. Vladivostok is one of those territories China sees as hers
The story may also have something to do with China’s economic woes. If Chinese firms are facing liquidity crisis they will want their cash.
The EU is buying more natural gas from Russians than the US. In effect paying Russia to war on Ukraine while we give 100s of billions. Seems like a screwed up process to me.