In the Kremlin it is, the chemistry between the presidents of Russia and China’s vote. If this is so, it will show this Wednesday. Then they come together again. From Moscow’s Miodrag Soric.
There is a slightly triumphant undertone with sounds, when President Putin announced that by 2018, the trade with China had exceeded a volume of 100 billion dollars. “China is our strategic Partner,” he said at the end of April, during its recent Visit in China. On Wednesday he meets with the Chinese President Xi – this time at the economic forum in Saint Petersburg. You meet the now 28. Time – within a period of six years. Foreign you are not so.
During the three-day visit to 30 cooperation agreements should be signed. The summit, the Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui has prepared. At public appearances he makes all know that China and Russia to vote at the diplomatic level, closely. In fact, the two permanent members of the UN security Council’s Western initiatives often run into Emptiness. This is what happened with Trying the Americans and Europeans to bring peace to Syria, or to promote democracy in Venezuela. “We reject unilateralism,” said Li Hui. In clear text: Beijing and Moscow have everything you perceive as “American hegemony” fight.
“Because it’s all about” could have said Xi Junping here, at least economically, China is the direction of the
Unbalanced Trade
In the first five months of this year, bilateral trade continued to grow, both governments are not tired to emphasize. At least in Moscow, but fails to mention how much both partners are. Russia’s exports to China mainly raw materials, including Oil, Gas, coal or wood. Beijing sold its Northern neighbor, machinery, transport equipment, consumer goods. The exchange of goods with Russia amounted to just 1.9 percent of China’s trade – a negligible size. Much more important is the markets in the USA and EU for China.
Conversely, China’s share in Russia’s foreign trade is proud to be the 15 percent. Already in 2010, China, Germany, had to be replaced as the main trading partner of Russia. After 2014, the Kremlin-oriented economic – and increasingly political – more in the direction of China and Asia. It is also a consequence of the sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow. The sanctions are likely to be weakened for the foreseeable future hardly. Finally, the so-called Minsk process is faltering.
The West together
Dean Sergei Karaganov
As Moscow feels that the policy of sanctions as unfair, complaining to Beijing about the threat of a trade war with the United States. China and Russia closer together, because they feel the West is pursuing, says the Dean of the Moscow school of management (high school of Economics) Sergei Karaganov. For the orientation of Russia towards Asia, he has already recruited in the ‘ 90s, he recalls in an interview with Deutsche Welle. Karaganov took place at the time, but no hearing in the Kremlin. President Putin caught up with him later on in his Advisory team. As before, the majority of the political Elite in Moscow, China would distrust. “The Kremlin relies not only on the Chinese map,” said Karaganov. Russia will build its relations with India, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries.
Weapons and infrastructure
Militarily, both countries work together. In September, 2018-proven Russian and Chinese armed forces cooperation. In the maneuvers “Vostok 2018” to have participated in up to 300,000 Russian and 3000 Chinese soldiers. The Kremlin continues to sell arms to China. Meanwhile, Beijing produces more and more of their own weapons. In particular, it is expanding its Navy at a breathtaking pace independently.
President Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi will want to bring in Saint Petersburg, the Expansion of the infrastructure along the over 4000-kilometre shared frontier. While Beijing has the necessary resources, must Moscow often fit. Significantly, the construction of the two kilometre-long bridge over the border river Amur in the far East. While the Chinese put their part up to the center of the river, within a short time, has delayed the construction on the Russian side, again and again, mainly because of the Kremlin lacked the money.