At true size, Russia is about 1.8× the size of China. On the old 1569 Mercator map the same two appear about 7× apart — the old map exaggerates their difference by a factor of 3.9×.
It is a latitude illusion: Russia sits near 66°, where Mercator multiplies area by about 6.1×, while China lies near 37°, inflated only about 1.6×. Equal Earth removes that latitude tax, and the pair settles at its honest 1.8×.