After Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a "new era" strategic partnership agreement, the dictator intends to emphasize the growing importance of trade during a trip near the Russian border in northeastern China on Friday. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
Details
According to the newspaper, Putin is wrapping up his two-day visit to China in Harbin in Heilongjiang province, which has longstanding trade and cultural ties with Russia. He will attend a Russian-Chinese exhibition and forum on interregional cooperation.
Reuters notes that Putin, facing political isolation and Western sanctions over his invasion of Ukraine, is increasingly turning to China to support his military economy.
According to Chinese customs data, Russia's isolation from other countries has contributed to the growth of its trade with China, which increased by 26.3% last year. Russia has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the main source of crude oil for China, with supplies increasing by more than 24% despite Western sanctions.
An editorial in China's state-run Global Times newspaper published on Friday highlighted the importance of growing trade ties for the broader relationship, noting that China has been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years.
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Recall
On Thursday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "new era" strategic partnership agreement in a 7,000-word statement. The document refers to strengthening ties in energy, trade, security and geopolitics.