Trade between Russia and China has increased in 2019

On a visit to China in early April, Russian President Vladimir Putin triumphantly announced that his country had traded goods worth more than $100 billion (€89 billion) with its vast Asian neighbor in 2018, declaring that "China is our strategic partner."

This Wednesday, Putin once again met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow. It was their 28th encounter in six years; it is fair to say they know each other well.

"In recent years, thanks in part to your direct participation, the relationship between Russia and China has reached, without exaggerating, an unprecedented level," Putin told Xi in the Kremlin.

At public events, Putin is keen to highlight the fact that China and Russia work together closely on many diplomatic issues. The two nations, both permanent members of the UN Security Council, often join forces — usually to undermine Western foreign policy initiatives.

Those include US and EU efforts to bring peace to Syria or democracy to Venezuela. Ambassador Li says China "rejects unilateralism," which effectively means China and Russia oppose anything they perceive as a manifestation of "US hegemony."

Source: www.dw.com