For me, the difference between Russia and China is that China, so far, seems content to make piles of money making the world's consumer products and has no westward expansionist intentions.

Putin appears to want to expand his sphere of influence as much as possible – to regain the lost Soviet territory at the very least.

So while China is possibly worse in terms of the treatment of its own citizens, Russia is a bigger danger to the rest of us.

As for "objective", is it really being too subjective to base one's opinion on years of past experience? Russia under Putin is not a fair-minded operator. It is very much out for its own interests and comfortable being as ruthless as necessary.