>>Xi Jinping ... remains as distant as possible out of supposed worries of being culpable.

I see it as more a healthy respect for what even much less stringent sanctions than are imposed on the RF would do to China's economy - and what that might do to CCP control.

If you're not tracking it, China is seriously over-leveraged, particularly as regards land/housing development - and it appears the bubble is beginning to burst even now. Building construction has come to a halt, people who have pre-bought apartments are deciding en masse to stop making mortgage payments. Looks like 2008 to me - but they have an issue with fundamentals which will make recovery all the harder.