Both Russian and Chinese governments declare current status of state-to-state relations as all-inclusive partnership and strategic cooperation. The development of ties between Russia and China, including the field of higher education, has reached its climax. The main reason for this was the painful break in relations between Russian universities and universities in Western countries after 2022 that can be compared with a new iron curtain for Russia. The object of the research is the development of universities in Russia and China. The subject of the research is a complex of factors that influenced the more successful development of Chinese universities compared to Russian ones. The purpose of the study is to consider a variety of factors that influenced more successful development of Chinese universities compared to Russian ones, including measures of state support conveyed through the university development programs in Russia and China. The research question is why Chinese universities managed to take leading positions in world university rankings, while Russian universities failed to do so. When analyzing government support programs for Chinese and Russian universities, information from the official websites of these development programs was used. The methods used were comparative analysis, analysis and synthesis of empirical data. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the establishment of a high degree of similarity in government support for university development programs in Russia and China, and the analysis of the factors contributing to the more successful development of the Chinese higher education system. Based on the research, it was concluded that the mechanisms for reforming higher education systems in Russia and China have much in common. Development programs in Russian and Chinese universities are also similar. Chinese universities have achieved greater success in their development due to the more successful development of China in general. Today China is the second largest economy in the world. China has the world's largest education system in the world, and has more opportunities to develop international cooperation. The success of Chinese university development programs was also influenced by a more innovative nature of the Chinese economy compared to Russia. The need to develop higher education in China was determined by the development of the Chinese economy, and was not just an isolated project determined by the ambitions of the country's leadership.