While the visit is full of political symbolism, it's also taking place in the context of booming trade links between the two countries.

Twenty months into the Ukraine war, Beijing and its northern neighbor have become more economically entwined than ever before. The trend looks inevitable in the years — if not decades — to come, despite some degree of reservation on the part of Moscow.

Prior to the war in Ukraine, China's share of Russian exports had fluctuated in the 10-20% range for several years. Since February 2022, the share has more than doubled as Western sanctions crippled Russian commodity exports and multinational companies decamped en masse. China's purchase of Russian goods surged in August by the most ever in dollar terms, with the country now accounting for roughly one-third of Russia's merchandise exports.