It’s basically a vassal state to China now

This is really true. China had just released a new standard map (they do this every other year), and on the map it included Russian territories. Namely the islands of Bolshoy Ussuriysky, located in at the confluence of the Amur and the Ussuri, and right next to the major Russian city of Khabarovsk, has given it great strategic importance.

The island was taken by the Russian in the 1860s, and China have been wanting it back ever since. The two countries had signed a agreement in 2004 which China takes the souther part of the island while Russian take the north. But now the Chinese map shows the whole area as Chinese and the Russians are not making a beep. Currently its just political move, but it ultimately might be a start where China seek to take back its lands while Russia is weakened.