Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has arrived in China for a two-day official visit, during which he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. The main focus of the talks will be economic, industrial and technological cooperation between the two countries, TASS and Reuters report, News.bg reports.
The first day of the visit is dedicated to a meeting of government leaders in Hangzhou, after which Mishustin will travel to Beijing, where he will meet with Xi Jinping tomorrow. According to the Kremlin, the visit is “of exceptional importance“ for the development of bilateral relations. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on whether President Vladimir Putin had sent a special message to the Chinese leader.
Focus on the economy and strategic partnership
The last meeting between Mishustin and Li Qian was in August 2024 in Moscow, when the Chinese premier highlighted the “new energy and vitality” in relations between the two capitals.
China and Russia signed a “partnership without borders” in February 2022, shortly before the start of the war in Ukraine. Since then, Moscow has increasingly relied on Beijing to cushion the impact of Western sanctions, relying on record trade, payments in yuan and expanded energy cooperation.
However, bilateral trade has declined in recent months. Russian Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov explained the trend with external economic pressure and saturation of the Russian market with Chinese goods.
Trade data and new priorities
According to Chinese customs data, China's exports to Russia fell by 21% in September - the biggest drop in the last seven months. At the same time, imports from Russia increased by 3.8%, after a 17.8% drop in August.
Mishustin's talks in China are expected to focus on strengthening trade and investment ties, as well as developing transport, industrial and energy partnerships, high technologies and agriculture.
According to Russian state media, Moscow sees industrial and technological cooperation with Beijing as a more sustainable model for long-term partnership, less dependent on fluctuations in world markets.
Preparation before the summit
On the eve of the visit, in the Chinese city of Ningbo, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and his Chinese counterpart He Lifen chaired a meeting of a bilateral intergovernmental commission. The meeting reported growth in copper and nickel exports, as well as expanded access to agricultural goods between the two countries.