Why didn't China colonize Siberia before Russia had a chance to do so?

Question

China has been more advanced than Russia for many centuries. Why didn't it colonize and annex Siberia in the 14th century?

Answer 1

China did not colonize Siberia, because despite "being more advanced than Russia for many centuries" - China has never truly had the ability to colonize many territories, other than Korea and Vietnam (and geograpahy played a big part in the ones they did) - which China lost centuries ago.

Answer 2

During the early part of Russia's eastward expansion, China was a very inward-looking country. Partly because of this, they were colonized themselves, by Britain, the US and Japan. It was only in the latter part of the twentieth century that China might have had the power to expand, but by then it was too late.

Answer 3

In the 14th century Russia's borders were much further to the west and china was controlled by the Yuan dynasty ie the Mongols.

The Mongols wouldnt have been interested in moving that far north since it was too far north to graze sheep and horses and they could get all the furs they needed by trading with the local tribes of reindeer herders and hunters.

Mongol and Turkic oral lore combined with archaeological discoveries suggest if anything the Mongols and Turkic peoples moved from south eastern Siberia into Central Asia and Mongolia probably to avoid the Siberian winters.

Answer 4

For what purpose? no resources china needed, uninhabitable mostly, mining was not very well known, it was a wasteland, they just didn't need it or want it.