- ENG.UATV.UA - A La Une - 24/Aug 11:41

Trade volumes between Russia and China begin to decline

For the first time since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, bilateral trade between Russia and China has started to decrease in 2025, The Moscow Times reports. According to Chinese customs data, from January to July 2025, trade between the two countries fell 8% year-on-year to $125.8 billion. In the previous three years, it had doubled, reaching a record $245 billion in 2025. “This year we are seeing a certain decline in mutual trade,” said Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov. He cited the negative impact of sanctions and “other forms of external economic pressure,” as well as volatility in certain commodity markets, as reasons for the decline. “We also note the gradual saturation of certain market segments with Chinese products, as well as domestic economic processes in both Russia and China,” Alikhanov added. Experts from the Russian Gaidar Institute reported that in the first half of the year, China reduced purchases of almost all key raw materials from Russia. Oil fell 11% (to 49.11 million tons) Petroleum products down 28% (to 5.51 million tons) Liquefied natural gas down 13% (to 3.22 million tons) Timber down 10% (to 4.53 million tons) Coal down 10% (to 38.97 million tons) At the same time, pipeline gas exports increased by 23%, and exports of industrial metals rose sharply: nickel +94%, aluminum +91%, copper more than doubled. Exports from China to Russia fell 9%, primarily due to a 61% drop in car imports. Earlier reports noted that Russian coal exports to China fell 25% in value in January–June 2025, putting more than 50 Russian coal enterprises at risk of closure. Read also: Ukraine to showcase defence technologies at European Defence Innovation Forum in The Hague The post Trade volumes between Russia and China begin to decline appeared first on Freedom.