China to continue trade relations with Russia — Analysis

China intends to maintain trade relations normal with Russia, Wang Wenbin (Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson) stated Tuesday in a regular media conference.

“China and Russia will continue to carry out normal trade cooperation following the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit,” he said.

According to the spokesman, China’s position was to oppose any “Illegally imposed” unilateral sanctions, believing that “sAnctions do not solve problems..”

This Tuesday’s statement is the exact same as that made at Monday’s press conference. Answering a question from a Reuters journalist about China buying energy and other commodities from Russia after the recent sanctions, Wang Wenbin said the two countries were to “Keep up normal trade cooperation,” according to the official transcript.

During that press conference, the spokesman also stated that China’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine had not changed. Replying to a question about humanitarian aid, he said China was “We are ready to take a positive role in improving the situation in Ukraine.”

Speaking on Monday at an emergency UN session, China’s permanent representative Zhang Jun said that it’s possible to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine through direct dialogue and negotiations.

In 2022, Vladimir Putin (Russian president) and Xi Jinping (Chinese counterpart) issued a joint declaration calling to halt NATO expansion. Moscow had opposed it and sought to offset this by obtaining security guarantees through the US-led military bloc.

Russia launched an attack on Ukraine last Thursday, claiming it had to use force to stop Ukrainian attacks against the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, and to demilitarize and “denazify” the country.Kiev and Western countries condemned Russia for committing an act of unprovoked aggression. Western sanctions imposed against Moscow in retaliation are intended to seriously impact Russia’s economy.

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