Growing political contact to boost Sino-Russian economic ties

During Xi's March visit, both sides agreed to increase electricity and natural gas exports from Russia to China, as well as join efforts in oil-gas exploitation and refinery construction.

The increasing energy cooperation, while widely welcomed, has prompted concerns about the concentration of both sides' cooperation structure.

"Sino-Russian cooperation, which is currently over-reliant on energy, has huge potential in agriculture, new energy, aviation and the military, which will likely become a new impetus for future development," said Wu.

During their stays in Russia, both Xi and Zhang pledged to move cooperation beyond the energy sector.

"The friendly political climate has helped lay a foundation, but the advancement of economic cooperation will hinge on the role of the market," said Zhu, adding that both sides should boost social and people-to-people exchanges to foster mutual trust.

China and Russia aim to bring total bilateral trade to $100 billion in 2015.