~China is also a close ally to Russia, despite apparent splits in the past~
Bullcrap. An average chinaman views a Russian as a gun-toting land-grabbing racist brute. They are dreaming to grow powerful enough and go teach Russia a lesson. And Russians are fully aware of Chinese perception.
The average chinaman isn't in control of China's foreign policy. The Chinese communist party, which has long had links with the Kremlin, is what calls the shots. That's the difference between a totalitarian regime and a Republican or Democratic one. The will of the people matters not, and can easily be changed through supression and propaganda.