A growing Sino-Russian partnership expanded its footprint with the arrival of Li Qiang, the Chinese premier, in Moscow. He flew to Russia to meet on straight on Wednesday with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and President Vladimir Putin, aiming to foster closer alignment on global issues. The discussions explored shared ground and a united stance on world matters. Nearly fifteen documents were signed covering customs, investment, and other practical areas. Topics on the table included hydrocarbon trade, people-to-people exchanges, and the push of key industries such as automotive manufacturing and metallurgy.
For Russia, a nation whose wealth is tied to oil and gas, keeping pipelines and gas lines flowing at full capacity is essential for sustaining state revenues. Since the Ukraine conflict began, Moscow has seen many trading partners shift away, especially within the European Union. China remained less swayed by the invasion, choosing to maintain and even grow its consumption of Russian energy without imposing sanctions on Moscow.
Russian officials reiterated their goal of becoming the top exporter of natural gas to China. President Putin highlighted that Russia is poised to lead in gas exports while continuing to maintain a strong position in oil. Both sides discussed large scale initiatives in coal, a sector that continues to be a factor in energy planning despite its overall decline compared with other nonrenewables. Additional joint areas mentioned included aircraft construction, the chemical industry, the metal sector, and automotive projects, underscoring a broad, multi sector collaboration.
Away from purely economic matters, the meeting also served to deepen trust between Moscow and Beijing. Li Qiang commented that the cooperation between the two countries demonstrates significant resilience and described the friendship as strong and steadfast. He stressed that the partnership is a valued shared legacy built on mutual interests and consistent efforts across multiple fronts.
Putin framed the result as a political victory for maintaining solid ties with China. He noted that the Chinese side is keen to expand bilateral trade and highlighted the steady attention both governments give to their economic links, which is yielding tangible benefits.
Tourism between the two powers
Russia enjoys a robust domestic tourism market, a trend bolstered by the post conflict period as foreign travel has slowed. Among the few long distance visitors still coming in sizable numbers are travelers from China who visit Moscow and nearby border regions in notable numbers. The recent talks noted that last year the number of trips for tourism between the two nations surpassed a million people, signaling strong people-to-people exchanges.
According to a Chinese source, in 2023 around 223,000 Chinese tourists traveled to Russia. By year end there were expectations of growth as more travelers seek deeper cultural understanding and closer ties between the two peoples, a sentiment echoed by Mishustin during the discussions. It was also noted that a considerable portion of Russian students study Chinese, signaling deeper cultural and educational linkages between the two nations.
The last formal meeting between the leaders of Russia and China occurred in December of the previous year, when Mishustin invited a reciprocal visit, highlighting ongoing diplomacy and a shared interest in sustaining collaboration across multiple sectors.