German media outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, WDR, and NDR also cite the report, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears intent on testing NATO’s Article 5 guarantees. The alliance’s mutual defence clause obliges member states to come to one another’s aid if attacked. The assessment suggests Putin may seek to challenge how seriously that commitment would be honoured.
What does China stand to gain by attacking Russia?
@LilaOrchideen@feddit.org already mentioned rare-earth’s, but Siberia is also extremely rich in non-rare minerals and metals. China would also stand to gain oil, gas, and coal deposits. However one probably overlooked resource is fresh water.
Water is already a massive issue in the northern half of China (not just the arid west, but even around Beijing). Eastern Russia has a lot of fresh water, like for instance Lake Baikal which contains 20% of the planet’s unfrozen freshwater. I saw some talk (5+ years ago) about China wanting to buy water-rights to this lake and pipeline it through Mongolia, but I’ve not heard of there being any concrete plans in the works yet.
Another possible gain would be easier access to the pacific and the arctic. In the extreme scenario where the Russian Federation splinters, and the eastern states of that federation find themselves without a way to make ends meet, China might make some very favorable deals in the region. Hell I wouldn’t be surprised if several of them ended up federalizing with China (or something very similar; some form of vassalage).
And with global warming comes two huge boons:
Siberia’s tundra thawing, making it easier to access untapped resources.
North pole remains largely ice-free for at least parts of the year, making shipping between eastern Asia and Europe cheaper and faster.
rare earths in siberia etc