China’s Xi hosts Russian Premier Mishustin in Beijing

By Riyaz ul Khaliq and Elena Teslova

ISTANBUL / MOSCOW (AA) – China’s President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with visiting Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in the capital Beijing, as annual trade between the two countries surpassed $200 billion for the first time this year.

The Russian prime minister is on a two-day official visit to China since Tuesday when he met his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang.

It is Mishustin’s second trip to China this year.

Li and Mishustin also co-chaired the 28th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government in Beijing.

According to the Russian government’s press service, Mishustin offered Xi his condolences over the recent earthquake which killed at least 131 people in northwestern region of China.

In 2023, the Russian prime minister said, trade and economic cooperation between the two countries managed to cope with challenges and reached a new level.

“The mutual trade turnover amounted to almost 18 trillion rubles, or 1.5 trillion Chinese yuan. You've already said that. We have completed the task that you and President Putin set for us,” Mishustin said.

Mishustin emphasized that Moscow and Beijing have almost completely switched to national currencies in mutual payments and that more than 90% of financial transactions are made in rubles and yuan.

“Good results have been achieved in the investment sector, with 80 joint projects totaling almost 20 trillion rubles, or about 1.6 trillion yuan,” he added.

According to Premier Li, China-Russia relations have “continued to operate at a high level, with more political mutual trust, deepening people-to-people friendship, more resilient practical cooperation, and closer international coordination.”

The two allies, which will celebrate 75 years of diplomatic ties next year, also signed cooperation documents in customs, inspection and quarantine, market supervision, and other fields.