Russia, China oppose 'discriminatory' sanctions, vow to expand trade ties: Putin

UPDATED: Aug 30, 2025 05:48 IST

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow and Beijing stand firmly against what he called “discriminatory” sanctions in global trade, accusing the West of undermining global development with restrictive measures.

In a written interview with China’s state-run Xinhua news agency published on Saturday, Putin said the two countries would push to cut barriers in their booming trade partnership as he prepared for a four-day visit to China.

“Russia and China jointly oppose discriminatory restrictions in global trade that hinder the world’s socio-economic development,” Putin said. “To sum up, economic cooperation, trade and industrial collaboration between our countries are advancing across multiple areas.”

The Kremlin has billed the trip as “unprecedented,” underscoring the importance Moscow attaches to ties with Beijing. Putin will begin in Tianjin, where he is expected to attend a two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, before heading to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and a massive military parade marking Japan’s surrender in World War Two.

“During my upcoming visit, we will certainly discuss further prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation and new steps to intensify it for the benefit of the peoples of Russia and China,” Putin said.

The visit will be Putin’s first to China since May last year and comes as he looks to boost trade flows that slowed in recent months, even as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues despite his summit earlier this month with US President Donald Trump in Alaska, Reuters reported.

China has become Russia’s economic lifeline since Western nations severed ties after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, buying record volumes of Russian oil and exporting cars, electronics and other goods. Bilateral trade hit $245 billion in 2024.

Putin and Xi declared a “no limits” strategic partnership in early 2022 and have met more than 40 times in the past decade, a relationship both sides portray as a counterweight to US global dominance.

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With inputs from Reuters

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