This article examines the economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and China, based on the historical path of development of relations between the countries. The article analyzes the SCO's role in the development of economic cooperation between Russia and China, as well as the involvement of Central Asian countries in this process. Based on the analysis, an attempt is made to identify the main factors stimulating economic interaction, as well as to predict future trends in this process. The relevance of this research topic is due to the growing level of economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and China in the modern world. The dynamics of the global geopolitical situation, which is mainly related to the political confrontation between Russia and European countries, is leading to a reorientation of the Russian economy towards the East, where there are historical relationships based on common interests and shared borders.