This could be interpreted as a desperation move by Russia.
If they had rolled right over Ukraine, would they be asking China for help?
Doesn’t matter if its a desperation move.
Russia is already China’s Ally against the west now. There is no turning back from this, the ships have all been burned down. The West burned them down in response to the invasion. So China, Russia, and basically all of the Asian continent might as well cooperate as they can.
Stupid foreign policy. Absolute trash to ensure all of the Asian nations to basically be forced to be against the West.