Deep Pockets, Deep Friendship
Foreign Policy, May 24, 2023
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 24.Alexander Astafyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images
Russia and China signed a series of bilateral agreements on Wednesday that strengthen the two countries’ economic ties. The deals come at a time when Moscow is increasingly looking to Beijing for economic and political support to offset the impact of Western sanctions and international isolation over the war in Ukraine.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed the agreements—which involve deepening investment in trade services, promoting Russian agricultural exports to China, and furthering sports cooperation—during a visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. It is the highest-profile trip to China by a Russian official since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, though Xi visited Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he called his “dear friend,” in Moscow this past March. Li Hui, China’s special representative for Eurasian affairs, is set to visit Russia on Friday.
The two countries have increased trade since the start of the war. The first three months of this year saw trade between Russia and China reach $53.8 billion, a nearly 40 percent increase from the same period the year prior.
Meanwhile, a new Gallup poll found that, since the war started, Russia’s neighbors—including those traditionally favorable to it—have taken on a dimmer view of the country’s leadership. According to Gallup, “In four countries historically sympathetic to Russian leadership—Armenia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan—the percentage who disapprove now exceeds the percentage who approve.” Disapproval also rose in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Last week, China—not Russia—held a Central Asia summit, where Xi unveiled plans for development and pledged a “new blueprint” for the region.
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