Prospects far brighter than the West thinks

President Xi Jinping's participation in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok is the first by any Chinese leader, and during the event, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to expand trade and cooperation, including in Russia's Far East, and explore ways to advance cooperation on energy, agriculture, high-tech and infrastructure.

Many Western business and theoretical free market circles may deride these developments, but the long-term potential of Sino-Russian relations is immense and highly sustainable. Even climatic and environmental factors now favor its impressive growth.

The intensification of the US' unilateral policies, seen as unpredictable and threatening both Russia and China, now make economic partnership essential for the two giant Eurasian powers.