Mishustin’s visit to Beijing: China sent an important signal to Western sanctions lovers

“The weather is fresh,” joked Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who arrived in Beijing at the head of a representative delegation. Indeed, in the Chinese capital there is frost – the kind when the thermometer shows, say, minus 12, but feels like minus 20. But, firstly, Russians are no strangers to frost. And secondly, the cold in nature was compensated by the warmth of the welcome of guests from Russia.

At the ramp, Mikhail Mishustin was greeted by a guard of honor, and the road from Beijing Capital International Airport was decorated on both sides with the Russian tricolor and a red Chinese banner with gold stars.

And one more thing – friends are known in trouble. A powerful earthquake has just occurred in northwest China, killing at least 118 people as of Tuesday. Mikhail Mishustin, at a meeting with his Chinese colleague, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Li Qiang, not only expressed condolences in connection with the loss of life due to a natural disaster, but also assured that, if necessary, Russia is ready, through the Ministry of Emergency Situations, to provide Chinese friends with the necessary assistance in eliminating the consequences of the disaster .

This is not Prime Minister Mishustin’s first trip to China this year. The head of the Russian Cabinet visited Beijing and Shanghai in May. And Mikhail Mishustin met with Li Qiang quite recently – in October in Bishkek (shortly after President Putin’s visit to Beijing for the summit dedicated to the “One Belt, One Road” initiative).

On Tuesday, in addition to a conversation in a narrow circle, the two prime ministers held the 28th regular meeting of the heads of government of our countries in order to discuss current issues in the development of bilateral relations with an emphasis on practical cooperation, humanitarian and interregional exchanges. And Mikhail Mishustin’s negotiations with Xi Jinping are scheduled for Wednesday.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that Moscow and Beijing plan to increase the volume of bilateral trade turnover to $300 billion by 2030. According to him, over the 11 months of this year, the trade turnover of our countries has already exceeded $201 billion. And already speaking in the Chinese capital, Prime Minister Mishustin emphasized that the main task is to bring our trade, economic and investment cooperation “to an even higher level and to ensure a new quality of mutual trade turnover by diversifying its structure.”

The PRC also seems to be sending optimistic signals about the prospects for bilateral relations. Shortly before the arrival of the Russian delegation in Beijing, an editorial article appeared in the Chinese English-language official publication Global Times (“Huanqiu Shibao”), which states that the relations between our two countries (and especially their economic ties) have not only been seriously condemned, but have even become a target by the United States and its Western allies.

According to media reports, the United States recently imposed sanctions on more than 250 individuals and entities, including in China, Turkey and the UAE, in its latest attempt to counter Russian sanctions evasion. However, the Chinese publication states, unilateral American sanctions can in no way force others to follow their example when it comes to trade with Russia.

Despite the impact of Western sanctions, Russia’s trade with China and other countries has not decreased, but has become closer. About 95 percent of trade exchanges between China and Russia are now carried out in yuan or rubles, up from 50 percent in 2022, according to media reports. This development is enough to indicate that both countries have strong strategic autonomy and their trade will in no way be influenced by Washington. Neither pressure nor stigmatization from the West can prevent the further development of Chinese-Russian economic relations, notes the Global Times.

However, the Beijing newspaper claims, the growth potential of Chinese-Russian trade has not weakened, but strengthened. As an example, the Global Times cites bilateral energy cooperation: natural gas trade is rapidly expanding, with Russian gas supplies to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline more than tripling from 2020 levels to 15.4 billion cubic meters in 2022 and, estimated to reach 38 billion cubic meters by 2025. Moreover, statistics showed that natural gas supplies from Russia to China grew by 46.6 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of this year, with daily supplies already exceeding contract volumes.

And this is just one of many aspects of practical cooperation between the two countries. “At a time when the US and its Western allies are increasing sanctions against Russia, bilateral energy trade between China and Russia has shown great potential for growth, and overall bilateral trade has often reached new highs, with expectations of strong growth momentum,” the Global Times states.

Two-way trade rose 26.7 percent year on year in the first 11 months, reaching $218 billion, surpassing $200 billion for the first time, according to Chinese customs data. The total marks a major milestone in bilateral economic ties as it means the two countries have achieved their $200 billion trade goal ahead of schedule.

Global Times explains this growth not only because the two countries strongly complement each other in areas such as energy, agricultural products and high technology, but also because in the current environment, their cooperation can provide more development opportunities for Chinese companies and provide important sales market and supplies for the economic development of Russia.

In fact, the themes raised by the Chinese newspaper on the eve of the visit to Beijing of the head of the Russian government were further developed in the words of Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, who stated that in today’s turbulent world, mutual political trust between our two countries is strengthening, and “our pragmatic cooperation and international coordination” are gaining increasingly valuable. “And this fully reveals healthy and stable Chinese-Russian relations,” stated Li Qiang.