There is one marked difference - the waves of russian peasants were armed and supplied by the industrial might of the United States of America. Now, they are armed and supplied by a nation with the industrial output smaller than most European second-tier states.
You mean continue to back them. They're currently backing them. I believe they're continued to show their support today. Seems there is something there you don't see.
China is making serious overtures about invading Tawain. It's well known they want to take Tawain "back". Letting them US and other countries waste their weapons on killing Russians is benefical to them. It also creates an overall unstable geopolitical envoirnment which they can take advantage of. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
They’ve been buying fossil fuels that they didn’t really need. And China can’t really be sanctioned. The US had a trade war with them and lost because the US needs them more than they need the US.
China gains little from rearming one of their biggest adversaries and angering their European partners.
It is much better off continuing to do what they're doing today: providing token diplomatic support to Russia in exchange for steeply discounted fossil fuels.
