Putin to push growing Moscow-Beijing trade in China

After sealing pledges of a "new era" of strategic partnership with China's Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday is set to highlight the growing importance of trade near the Russian border in China's northeast.

Putin ends his two-day, red-carpet visit to China in Harbin in Heilongjiang province, which has long-running trade and cultural ties to Russia, touring a Russian-China Expo and a forum on interregional cooperation.

Facing political isolation and Western sanctions over Russia's two-year-old invasion of Ukraine, Putin is increasingly turning to China to support its war economy.

Amid the pomp of a full state visit, Putin and Xi signed a joint statement on Thursday that hailed the "new era," countering the US across a sweep of security and economic issues and a shared global view.

"The China-Russia relationship today is hard-earned, and the two sides need to cherish and nurture it," Xi told Putin.

"China is willing to... jointly achieve the development and rejuvenation of our respective countries and work together to uphold fairness and justice in the world."

The joint statement fleshes out the "no limits" partnership the two declared in February 2022, days before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into neighboring Ukraine, launching the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.

An editorial in China's state-controlled Global Times newspaper on Friday cited the importance of burgeoning trade ties to the wider relationship, saying China had been Russia's largest trading partner for 13 straight years.

"These achievements are not easy and have been achieved by both countries overcoming various external challenges and unfavorable factors, highlighting the solid foundation of the China-Russia relationship," the editorial said.

Reuters