To a certain extent. Trade partnership helps to persuade the other party to not join up the opponent's camp as demonstrated by the recent Ukraine crisis. Basically, due to the trade between Russia and Europe, European Union would not respond to US' demand for more sanctions.
I would say that while a strong nation must make sure it is self-sufficient at basic level, but look for opportunities to gather as much resource outward as well.
Personally, I see no reason that China can't buy resource from both Australia and Russia. Raw material and resources have little added value and are perfect for balancing the trade.