On Thursday, Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov joined the Russian government delegation in a number of events as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China.
"The minister [Reshetnikov] recalled that Russia and China currently see their key task in reaching the level of $300 billion in mutual trade by 2030. In the course of the negotiations, the governments of the two states 'compared notes' on implementing the mechanisms that will help to achieve this goal, discussed expanding strategic partnership, the general state and prospects of the further development of bilateral cooperation in different spheres," the ministry said in a statement.
The statement cited Reshetnikov as describing trade as a "key driving force" of the Russian-Chinese relations.
"Last year, it [trade] reached a historic high of $220 billion. Russia became China's fourth main partner. This year, the trade continues to grow steadily," the minister said.
These numbers indicate that Russian manufacturers managed to competently and timely redirect their supplies and successfully find partners, he added.
Putin is on a state visit to the Chinese cities of Beijing and Harbin from Thursday to Friday, in his first foreign trip after reelection. On Thursday, Putin held extensive talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, discussing the whole range of issues of partnership and strategic cooperation between Russia and China, identifying key areas for further development of ties, as well as exchanging views on the most pressing international and regional issues.
The program of Putin's visit also includes a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss bilateral cooperation in trade, economic and humanitarian spheres. In addition to the economy minister, the Russian president's delegation includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, among other officials.