China, Russia pledge to expand bilateral trade

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Tuesday agreed to expand bilateral trade while co-hosting the 28th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government in Beijing.

Li said China is willing to work with Russia to take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year as an opportunity to implement the important consensus of the heads of state of the two countries, continue to pass on and carry forward the friendship between China and Russia for generations, and promote the development of China-Russia relations, injecting more stability and positive energy into the world.

Mishustin said that Russia-China relations are at the highest level in history and are maintaining the momentum of rapid development. 

Russia is willing to work with China to implement the consensus of the two heads of state, strengthen cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, energy and investment, deepen people-to-people exchanges, strengthen multilateral communication and coordination, and elevate the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level, Mishustin said.

Trade between China and Russia grew steadily in the first 11 months of this year, hitting $218 billion, up 26.7 percent year-on-year, and exceeding $200 billion for the first time, Chinese customs data showed.

The two heads of government fully affirmed the efficient and pragmatic work of the committees over the past year. 

The two sides also agreed to expand agriculture cooperation, jointly maintain the energy security of the two countries, strengthen connectivity, enhance personnel exchanges and local cooperation, and ensure the security and stability of industrial and supply chains.

After the meeting, Li and Mishustin signed a joint communique on the regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government and witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents.

(Cover: Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin co-host the 28th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government in Beijing, China, December 19, 2023. /CMG)