Russia is paying an increasingly high price for its “eternal friendship” with China. At the same time, the ban by Rosstandart on the sale and release into circulation in the Russian Federation of a number of Chinese truck models from the Dongfeng, Foton, FAW and Sitrak brands calls this “friendship” into question. This is reported by UNN, citing the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
Details
Formally, the reason for this decision was the vehicles’ non-compliance with “certain technical standards that directly threaten the lives and health of citizens.” In practice, this looks like a state policy of protectionism.
In the first half of the year, 13,100 new Chinese trucks were sold in Russia, accounting for 47% of total sales, while the combined share of Dongfeng, Foton, FAW and Sitrak was 28%. Against this backdrop, the return of “KamAZ” to a five-day working week can hardly be considered a coincidence
Growing tensions between the Chinese and Russian sides are also being recorded in other business sectors. This is most clearly reflected in transportation costs. The cost of delivering a container by rail from Suzhou station to Moscow rose from $4.3 thousand in July 2025 to $6.3 thousand in February 2026, and now stands at around $9 thousand.
At the same time, China is systematically restructuring its own export system, and every step in this process affects the cost of products for Russian companies.
Last year, “Announcement No. 17 of the State Taxation Administration of the PRC” came into force, obliging export agents to disclose the actual manufacturer of goods. This destroyed the old scheme used by Russian companies, which allowed them to circumvent customs clearance
We remind you
China is gaining experience from the hostilities of the Russian-Ukrainian war, as well as technologies to strengthen its own military capabilities for a possible future war with Taiwan.