China didn't bankrupt itself in the process of a space race, and they're not doing it during the cold war but just because they know they can. If China put a 'cold war' attitude into doing something, you can bet that this would have been done in less time. Just look at how quickly rudimentary hospitals were built for their covid outbursts.
Russia put a man in space in 1961, and Mir was 25 years later (following several Salyut stations)
19 years doesn’t seem that great