Newsweek: Trump Tariffs Increase China's Interest in Russia

Not including Russia in the Donald Trump administration's "tariff war" lists could be beneficial for China, writes Newsweek. The current authorities in the White House previously justified their decisions by the fact that US trade with Russia is already minimal for obvious reasons.

The publication notes that at the same time, business contacts between Russia and China have flourished under the Western sanctions regime and “helped to maintain the economy Moscow stays afloat thanks to purchases of Russian oil and natural gas."




– Newsweek writes further.

Bilateral trade reached a record $244,8 billion in 2024, but it grew only 1,9 percent after a 26 percent surge in 2023 amid difficulties with cross-border payments caused by sanctions imposed by the Biden administration.

Of course, Russia is unlikely to be able to become an adequate way for China to bypass American duties. There are already quite a few duties and other restrictions against the Russian economy.

The idea of ​​producing Chinese goods on Russian territory seems equally dubious.
However, China will now definitely redirect its export flows to other destinations, one of which is Russia.

In essence, American tariffs and sanctions are pushing China and Russia toward each other. The Russian economic base has withstood the initial onslaught, so the current situation will be an incredible stroke of luck for it.