That was when China had a GDP of $400B, as opposed to now ($15T).
There's no reason to instinctively flinch every time someone in the Kremlin or in Beijing throws a tantrum. Leadership in China and Russia responds to strength and making countries pay a price for moving borders violently is going to make the world more stable.
The US and Europe aren't going to get nuked, where do you think the children of all those leaders live right now? You think they're gonna glass their own kids in those fancy apartments in Rotterdam, London or New York? It's just bluster.
China is getting to the point where it doesn't need the West, but it definitely needs resources to feed growth.