With Dmitry Medvedev sworn in as Russia's president on Wednesday, all eyes will be on how the 42-year-old leads the Kremlin.
But what is likely to remain is his predecessor Vladimir Putin's grand foreign policy strategy in the next four years, including Moscow's stance toward China, Chinese analysts have said.
Like Putin, Medvedev will prioritize Moscow's ties with Beijing - the new Russian leader said recently that China would be among the destinations of his first state visit.
"As I promised on the night of the (presidential) election, I will first go to Kazakhstan And from there to China. This will be my first international journey (as president)," Medvedev said in an interview with Russian weekly Argumenty i Fakty on April 29.
"Medvedev is giving priority to China in Russia's foreign relations with major powers," Professor Xu Tao of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations told China Daily.
"It also means that Medvedev will continue the foreign policy course charted by Mr Putin," he said.
The two countries established a strategic partnership during the Putin administration in 2001.
Medvedev has long been involved in promoting this partnership during the Putin administration and his tenure will bring more confidence to the future of bilateral ties, he said.
"Putin initiated the grand strategy, that Russia should enjoy a sound relationship with China. But a noteworthy point is that Medvedev was the one who did the concrete work to implement Putin's strategy," Xu said.
