China’s Xi says trade with Russia expected to hit new records in the coming months

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke Friday via video at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum’s plenary session, which Russian President Vladimir Putin opened with a speech over an hour long. This picture is from Putin’s visit to Beijing in early February 2022.

Despite Western sanctions against Moscow, the Chinese government is still committed to trading with Russia.

According to an official English translation, the cooperation between Russia and China is getting better. Putin visited Beijing in February.

Over the first half of this year, trade has been in the tens of billions of U.S. dollars, and we can expect new records in the months to come.

Putin opened the session with a speech over an hour long while the Chinese leader spoke via video.

New records in trade between China and Russia were not mentioned in the official Chinese state media. The removal of trade barriers was called for by the readout.

In both the Chinese and Russian translations, the president talked about the Belt and Road Initiative and how it has not changed.

In the first five months of this year, trade between China and Russia increased by 28.9%. Russian imports from China grew the most.

Russia has not been called an invasion by Beijing. There were no limits or "forbidden areas" of cooperation after a high-profile meeting between the two men.

In a phone call with Putin earlier this week, the Chinese president told the Russian leader that the warring parties in the war in Ukraine should push for a proper settlement.

Putin said that China had their national interest in mind. We don't disagree.

He said that China should not play along with Russia in everything. We don't want that.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not spoken with his counterpart in China. Many countries have joined the U.S. in freezing the assets of Russian billionaires, as well as cutting off Russia from critical technology.