© Dmitry Astakhov/POOL/TASS

On May 23 to 24, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin paid an official visit to the People’s Republic of China for talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, and to engage in the Russian-Chinese business forum in Shanghai. It was the first time Mikhail Mishustin was accepted in China as head of the Russian Cabinet.

Mikhail Mishustin started his visit on May 23 from Shanghai, where he attended the Russian-Chinese business forum, to which our representative delegation of Russian businessmen brought dozens of investment projects. In his speech, Mishustin presented Russia as a country that knows how to reputably get out of sanctions and keep developing. China, we note, has yet to prove the same, and our experience may be relevant indeed.

"Last year, Russia was subjected to unprecedented sanctions pressure seeking to break our economy, collapse the national currency, set off devastating inflation and attack the standard of living of ordinary people. None of what our detractors dreamed of, happened. We have not only survived, but continue to move forward. I’m sure that deeper Russian-Chinese cooperation and expanded collaboration will have a positive impact on strengthening our countries’ economies as well," Mishustin said in Shanghai.

The Russian Prime Minister also mentioned that this year’s mutual trade volumes between Russia and China will reach a record-high $200 billion. It has increased by almost 25 percent in the first quarter and reached about $52 billion. According to him, it is necessary to do more to facilitate mutual access to agricultural markets and jointly strengthen food security, which is vital to China as the world’s largest food buyer, and Russia as its exporter. Further on, Mikhail Mishustin outlined priorities of bilateral cooperation as Moscow sees them: energy cooperation; machine tool engineering; shipbuilding; civilian unmanned systems; timber industry; developing transport corridors to China through Kazakhstan and Mongolia; expanding air communication and Northern Sea Route potential.

Notably, China has always been Russia's major trading partner, but 2022 marked our country’s first-time rankings among Beijing’s top-10 largest trading partners. And Russian–Chinese trade and economic relations do feature quality changes. In particular, the growing share of domestic currency settlements enables higher cooperation independence and strengthened economic sovereignty. Today, two-thirds of the two countries’ trade and economic turnover are believed to occur in yuan, making it possible to gradually displace the US dollar from bilateral settlements.

On May 24, the second day of Mikhail Mishustin's stay in China, he met first with Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, and then with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. At talks with his counterpart, Mishustin said our relations experience an unprecedentedly high level. According to him, they "are noted for mutual respect of each other’s interests and a desire to jointly stand against the new challenges created by the increased turbulence on the international stage and the illegal sanctions pressure on the part of the collective West."

In turn, Li Qiang highly appreciated cooperation prospects between the two countries: "Sino-Russian practical cooperation has great and bright prospects, it is constantly and steadily moving up," he said. Among other things, the PM focused on the rapid growth of bilateral trade this year by over 40%.

At Mikhail Mishustin's meeting with Xi Jinping later, the Russian Prime Minister said Russia and China, which oppose attempts of the collective West to preserve its global dominance by leveraging illegal sanctions to impose its will on independent states, will resolutely fend off these dangerous aspirations by creating an enabling environment for moving forward. "We believe that expanding cultural and humanitarian ties is just as important as strengthening our trade and economic cooperation. These ties can help consolidate friendship and mutual sympathy between our peoples, as well as pass them on to future generations in both Russia and China," Mishustin added.

The Chinese leader, in turn, conveyed greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin and noted that relations between Beijing and Moscow are steadily developing, accompanied by multifaceted cooperation. According to Xi Jinping, "today, the relations between China and Russia have reached a high level with our multifaceted cooperation advancing at a steady pace." He also stated that Mishustin's first visit to China was a success and that the two sides’ agreements are being fulfilled step by step. "I suggest that we continue building on the advantages China and Russia can unlock through their cooperation with its vast scope, immense potential and powerful drivers. I hold a positive view of this development path," Xi Jinping added.

Further to all the negotiations, a number of bilateral agreements were signed, including a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for Russia’s millet exported to China. A memorandum of understanding was also signed between the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on deeper investment cooperation in service trade, as well as a memorandum of friendship and cooperation between our Ministry of Sports and China’s General Administration of Sport.

In conclusion, let’s remark upon the recent statement by French President Emmanuel Macron about "Russia becoming a vassal state of China," which prompted Western media outlets to describe Mishustin's trip as a "plea for help." Having made a splash in the West, this clearly biased statement runs counter to reality. A statement to this effect wsa particularly made by Hong Kong’s hk01.com in a piece saying that China kept business with Russia despite sanctions, and secured lucrative contracts — from discounted oil and gas esports to imports of automotive goods and electronics.

According to the author, the two countries’ economic and trade interaction cannot be interpreted as "Russia seeking help from China" because Moscow is not "blocked by the West", as the volume of trade between Europe and Russia is surprisingly on the rise, too. And France, the outlet notes, is actually Russia’ nuclear energy vassal, unable to waive uranium supplies. Politically, Mishustin's visit has been a continuation of diplomacy practice between the leaders of China and Russia, the hk01.com portal notes.

Moreover, Mikhail Mishustin's successful visit to China has become a fitting reply to threats made by at the recent G7 summit in Hiroshima. The visit has also once again confirmed that Russia and China are ready to stand "back-to-back" in confronting the collective West.