Premier level: Russia and China are moving closer despite Western sanctions

Relations between Moscow and Beijing are at the highest level in history, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said. The heads of the governments of the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China held their 30th annual meeting in Hangzhou, one of China's technology centers. Despite Western sanctions, cooperation between the two countries is gaining momentum. Analysts are confident that the EU's rejection of Russian energy supplies and US pressure on China and India will only accelerate the implementation of joint projects between Moscow and Beijing. Russia is ready to increase food supplies to China, and Beijing expects to strengthen security ties. At the same time, the parties will have to change the structure of trade towards high-value-added goods. How the Russian-Chinese dialogue is reaching a new level — in the material of Izvestia.

What did the premiers of Russia and China agree on?

The talks between Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, and Li Qiang, Head of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, in Hangzhou have already become the 30th annual meeting of the heads of the two countries' cabinets. Most of the Russian delegation was already in China and was negotiating in their respective areas. Mishustin's visit was the culmination of the work of 5 commissions, 23 sub-commissions, as well as more than 50 working groups and special structures.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang received his Russian counterpart in Hangzhou, at the Xihu State Residence located on the lake of the same name. In the 19th century, it was the private villa of an imperial official, and in the 20th century, the first constitution of the People's Republic of China was drafted here. Today, this city is one of the technological capitals of China. The headquarters of Alibaba Group Corporation and hundreds more technology companies are located here.

But Hangzhou didn't seem to notice the many politicians and officials who had arrived: ordinary life continued on the streets. Only the Russian flags that appeared on road poles and buildings indicated that diplomatic activity was in full swing nearby. It is noteworthy that for Chairman of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang, Zhejiang Province (whose capital is Hangzhou) is a small homeland. And in 2002-2007, Chinese President Xi Jinping served as secretary of the provincial party committee. Therefore, the invitation of the Russian Prime Minister to Hangzhou is a sign of personal trust and respect on the part of the Chinese leadership.

The fact that Mikhail Mishustin and Li Qiang held an informal meeting before the start of the negotiations also speaks to the trusting relationship. The head of the Russian government said that he had heard from Li Qiang a lot of interesting things about the rich history of Zhejiang Province and Lake Xihu, on the shores of which the meeting took place.

— Dear Mr. Li Qiang, my dear friend, I am very glad to meet you again. Thank you and all your Chinese friends for the very warm welcome of our entire Russian delegation here in Hangzhou," Mishustin said.

Then the premiers were joined by members of the delegations. The Russian side was represented by First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Ministers Alexander Novak, Tatiana Golikova, Yuri Trutnev and Dmitry Chernyshenko. The delegation also included the Ministers of Agriculture, Transport, economic development and Finance. There were also heads of state corporations, Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Bakanov and Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev.

"Relations between Russia and China are at the highest level in their centuries—old history and continue to develop dynamically in all directions, despite various obstacles and illegal Western sanctions," the Russian Prime Minister stressed.

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang began by saying that fundamental changes are taking place in the international situation. He said that the Chinese side is ready to strengthen strategic dialogue and cooperation in all areas "in order to more effectively protect our interests in the field of development and security."

Currently, cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in the field of security is manifested mainly in joint exercises, the fight against terrorism and cooperation on international platforms. Russia is ready to expand military-technical cooperation with Beijing, Dmitry Shugaev, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, said earlier. However, there were no military statements among the participants in both the narrow and broad format of the negotiations. But the trade was given the closest attention.

How is trade between Russia and China developing?

Back in 2023, the parties set a clear goal to achieve an increase in trade to $300 billion by 2030. However, according to the General Administration of Customs of China, in the first eight months of 2025, China and the Russian Federation traded for $143.76 billion, which is 9.4% less than in the same period last year. Denis Manturov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government, noted that the decline was more likely due to external factors and the general market situation.

Nevertheless, the goal of 300 billion is still absolutely realistic, and it can be achieved by expanding and changing the structure of trade, political analyst Viktor Pirozhenko told Izvestia.

— It is not necessary to reduce the share of hydrocarbons for this, but it is highly desirable to increase the share of finished and processed products from the same hydrocarbons, as well as from wood and agricultural raw materials. The products of the Russian food industry have a very good reputation and demand in China; they are considered environmentally friendly and have high nutritional qualities," the expert noted.

There is a potential for increasing trade volumes, emphasizes Alexander Yershov, a researcher at the Center for the Study of the Modern History of China and its Relations with Russia at the ICSA RAS. Moscow and Beijing have already succeeded in the past: in 2019, the volume of trade amounted to $111 billion, and in 2023 — $240 billion. According to him, it is necessary to increase the share of exports of goods with high added value.

However, trade between Russia and China cannot be limited to hydrocarbons alone. The volume of mutual supplies of agricultural products in January-September 2025 increased by 15%, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation reported. As Mikhail Mishustin confirmed, our country is ready to increase food supplies to China.

Attention is also being paid to the technological sphere: in Liaoning Province in northeastern China, the Xudapu nuclear power plant with a VVER-1200 reactor is being built according to a Russian design. Power units at the Tianwan NPP are also being built in China under the Rosatom project.

It is important that 90% of payments are made in national currencies. The parties were able to reduce dependence on the dollar and ensure the security of transactions. Currently, about 80 major investment projects in various industries totaling over $200 billion are being implemented between the countries. And the Russian regions have 117 direct agreements with the Chinese provinces. The Russian Federation does not have such a large number of agreements with any other country.

Strengthening relations between Moscow and Beijing

Russia and China always emphasize that their cooperation is not directed against third countries. The growing confrontation between Beijing and Washington, as well as the deterioration of relations between Russia and Western countries, only accelerate the development of Russian-Chinese relations, said Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Foundation and an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Washington's attempts to pressure China to reduce purchases of Russian energy resources were rejected in Beijing. China demonstrates its commitment to national interests by ensuring its energy security. And the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at the APEC forum, despite the positive assessments of the American leader, has not yet led to concrete decisions.

— Supplies from the north, from Russia, are a much safer option for them than everything that comes from the south. And the factor of reliable supply, whether oil or gas, will become increasingly important as the conflict between the United States and China grows," Yushkov believes.

The humanitarian sphere of cooperation is equally important. Beijing has canceled visas for Russian tourists since September 15. According to Mikhail Mishustin, Russia is working on a retaliatory step against Chinese citizens. By the end of 2024, the mutual tourist flow reached 2.8 million people. According to experts, there is a potential for a twofold increase in the number of mutual trips.

Moscow and Beijing are working together for a long time, laying the foundation for strong relations in the future. Over 50,000 young people from China are currently studying in Russia. There are about 20 thousand Russian students in Chinese universities. Mishustin added that a unified network of research infrastructure for megascience-class installations is also being formed, which is necessary for joint innovative scientific research.

By the way, following the negotiations, a roadmap for cooperation in the field of satellite navigation was signed. Documents on cooperation in the fields of investment, energy, transport, agriculture and mass media were signed.