The goal of bringing Russia-China trade to the $200 billion mark has already been achieved ahead of schedule, as bilateral trade reached $218.28 by the end of 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday.
"The goal set five years ago by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and me to bring the volume of bilateral trade to $200 billion has been achieved ahead of schedule," Xi told a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in Beijing, adding that this reflects the positive dynamics of bilateral cooperation.
Russia and China have achieved good results in investments, with about 80 joint projects worth nearly 20 trillion rubles ($22 billion) under implementation, Mishustin said at the meeting.
The prime minister said that the countries have fully switched to national currencies in mutual settlements, adding that over 90% of settlements are being made in rubles and yuan.
Xi also said that a strong foundation for cooperation has been laid in the Russia-China relationship and that the countries' ability to withstand risks is being strengthened.
"Today, we have a strong foundation for cooperation, its scale and quality are growing, and our ability to withstand risks is being strengthened. This fully demonstrates the resilience and broad prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries," Xi told a meeting with Mishustin.
The president recalled that next year will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. Xi said Moscow and Beijing should increase the positive impact of the high-level political relationship, jointly advance social and economic development and build a community of shared destiny for mankind.
"[The parties need to] constantly enrich the content of cooperation, deepen cooperation in such areas as economics and trade, energy, communications," Xi said, as quoted by the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) broadcaster.