Trade relations between China and Russia are rapidly weakening: in October, Chinese exports to Russia fell by 22%, marking the worst figure in the past eight months, Reuters reported, citing data from China’s customs service.
Source: Pryamyi
According to official statistics, shipments from China to Russia last month totaled 60.46 billion yuan (around $8.5 billion). This marks the seventh consecutive month of negative growth. Imports from Russia, meanwhile, rose by only 2.5%, indicating a gradual cooling of trade relations.
As a result, total trade turnover between the two countries over the first ten months of the year fell by nearly 9%, reaching 1.31 trillion yuan.
Analysts note that after a record-breaking 2024 — when Moscow and Beijing called their partnership “without limits” — the economic reality has shifted. China is now feeling the pressure of U.S. sanctions and trade tariffs, while Russia’s economy is suffocating under its own restrictions and declining domestic demand.
“Sanctions are working. Russia is losing even those partners that helped it survive just yesterday,” commented experts on Asian markets. They warn that if the trend continues, the further decline in Chinese exports will be an alarming signal for the Kremlin, as even its “friendly” economic ties cannot withstand the pressure of isolation.
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