With China's new president Xi Jinping set to visit Moscow this week, a breakthrough in energy talks between China and Russia is apparently in the offing; in a potential development which is likely to strengthen ties between the two neighboring countries.

At a recent briefing in Beijing, China's Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping said that President Xi's three-day Moscow visit - his first state trip overseas since his appointment as the Communist Party chief in November 2012 and as the country's new president last week - will likely witness the signing of an agreement by China and Russia on a natural gas pipeline.

In case the two countries sign the agreement, the natural gas pipeline will mark the opening of a new market for Russian supplies, at a time when there is declining demand in Europe. The deal on the natural gas pipeline, as well as the other deals which Xi may sign with Russia, will give a notable boost to China-Russia relations.

The two countries are seeking stronger alliances so that they can effectively counter what they see as U. S. attempts to expand its influence in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East regions.

Noting that "energy cooperation is the crown jewel of China and Russia cooperation," Li Lifan - deputy director at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Center of Russia and Central Asia Studies - said: "The mutual trust built upon energy cooperation could quickly spread to other areas."