It's Not Too Late to Prevent a Russia-China Axis

[MSGT MSC USAR]

https://www.theatlantic.com/internat...rcises/570202/
US F-22s came face-to-face with Russia's top fighter near Alaska and were at a major disadvantage

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-f...vantage-2018-9

[Imperial]

I believe the first article is a bit misleading by focusing on the current non-existence of a formal alliance between Russia and China.

The NATO example is wrong because that's the US leading an alliance, not an alliance between great power peers.

I don't think there have been formal alliances between great power peers since pre-WWI times (Britain distanced itself from France a few years after WWI).
Since then they've tended to keep their options open and form coalitions or formal alliances only in reaction to threats to the balance of power.

The author actually gives the example of US having China's back during the latter's border crisis with Russia. There was no formal alliance between them prior to that, quite the contrary (Vietnam?). Another example: US and UK didn't have a formal alliance with the Soviet Union at the start of Barbarossa either.

So formal alliances can be formed on the spot, in reaction to a threat to the balance of power, their non-existence doesn't tell much about the way great powers will align in a future crisis.