Wouldn't it be more accurate to portray Putin as Xi Jinping's dog since China has more leverage in the "equal partnership". Russia's economy is about the size of Guangdong not to mention the vatniks are now more reliant on the chinks for trade due to Western sanctions. It doesn't make sense for China to align themselves with Russia though as the Russians will lose the war in Ukraine and Chinese ties with the E.U will be further strained.