Lavrov Says Russia-China Trade Rose 25% in First Eight Months

Dragon Media Newsroom

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said trade between Russia and China grew by 25 percent in the first eight months of this year. Speaking with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday on the sidelines of the seventh Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Baku, Lavrov said bilateral trade was expected to reach a new record this year.

Lavrov said the international situation had become more complex, including in the Middle East, and that the meeting provided an opportunity to advance the tasks set by the two countries’ leaders. The Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation between Russia and China marked its 25th anniversary in July.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met twice this year, Lavrov said: in May during Putin’s visit to China and in August in Bishkek on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. Lavrov said Putin would travel to Shenzhen in November to attend the APEC summit and meet Xi again.

Lavrov said the Russia-China strategic partnership had played an important stabilising role internationally. He said the two countries’ positions were similar or closely aligned on many issues at the United Nations Security Council, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, BRICS, APEC, the G20 and cooperation forums with ASEAN.

He added that the international situation called for the two countries’ foreign ministries to work with greater commitment and effectiveness.