Xi probably viewed his alliance with Putin the same way Stalin viewed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: an opportunity to sit back and watch the US and Russia batter each other to pieces, only to his profit. As we know, it didn’t work out that way in the end.
Instead, the partnership is starting to look more like Hitler bailing out Mussolini after the latter’s North Africa misadventure. That didn’t work out too well, either.