Vladimir Putin is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping.
The visit comes just days after Donald Trump received a grand official welcome in China, reflecting Beijing's efforts to maintain a balance in relations with the world's two superpowers.
The summit, which took place from May 19 to 20, was the second meeting between Xi and Putin in a year. China is now seen as increasingly playing a role as a global diplomatic power as it tries to manage relations with Washington and Moscow simultaneously.
Since the Ukraine conflict erupted in 2022, Russia has become increasingly dependent on China, especially in the trade and economic sectors following the pressure of Western sanctions.
Beijing-Moscow strategic ties have also continued to strengthen as the two countries share increasingly close geopolitical interests.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the visit brought an important agenda in strengthening the strategic and special partnership between Russia and China.
At the same time, the US and NATO continue to pressure Beijing to reduce economic support for Moscow.
NATO has previously labeled China as a key enabler of the Ukraine war following allegations of Chinese companies' involvement in supplying dual-use goods that aided Russia's military operations.
Economic pressure on Russia is also mounting as Moscow slashed its economic growth forecast for this year to just 0.4%, down from 1.3% previously.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure and uncertainty over US sanctions have also weighed on the country's economy.
Analysts see Putin as wanting to ensure China's relations with Washington do not undermine the Beijing-Moscow strategic alliance. At the same time, China is seen as trying to maintain a neutral and flexible position in global geopolitical competition.
Chinese state media has also described the successive visits of US and Russian leaders to Beijing as evidence that China is now increasingly becoming an important center of world diplomacy in the post-Cold War era.
