Russia – China: Urgent Consultations on Resolving Western Sanctions

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Russia and Belarus from August 20 to 23 at the invitation of his counterparts from the two countries, Mikhail Mishustin and Roman Golovchenko, respectively. In Russia, Premier Li will co-chair the 29th bilateral heads of government meeting with Mishustin.

“Under the strategic leadership of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have been freed from external interference and maintained healthy and stable development,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on the eve of Li Qiang’s departure.

In Moscow, Premier Li will hold in-depth consultations with Mishustin on “trade cooperation between China and Russia and other issues of mutual interest.” The two countries are working on a joint strategy to avoid the negative effects of Western sanctions imposed on manufacturers and foreign trade of the two countries.

In recent months, fearing so-called “secondary sanctions” from the USA and the European Union, many PRC banks have blocked incoming payments from Russia. The Chinese Primer is expected to be received by Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina to map out ways out of this unpleasant situation, which is very seriously hurting bilateral trade that this year for the first time exceeded the volume of 200 billion dollars.

Premier Li will also meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin before leaving for Minsk, the capital of Belarus. From Thursday, August 22, to Friday, August 23, the Chinese Premier will be in Minsk, Belarus, where, in addition to talks with Prime Minister Golovchenko, he will meet with President Alexander Lukashenko of the former Soviet republic.