Germany was allied with two tottering autocracies during World War I: the Austro-Hungarian Empire; and the Ottoman Empire, commonly referred to as “the sick man of Europe.” They were almost more trouble than they were worth. If you’re looking for reasons why the Germans lost the war, that is a good place to start.
Assuming that the World War I analogy fits today and that China is the equivalent of the German Empire, who is the best available candidate for the new “sick man of Europe?” Wouldn’t it make sense to pick as your principal ally an unstable, aggressive autocracy whose only real economic asset is about to decline in value over the next decade?
That would be Russia, of course. Xi looks more like Wilhelm II every day.