Bilateral trade between Russia and China grew by 26.3 percent in the first seven months of the year, reaching nearly $160 billion, according to data from China's General Administration of Customs reported by RIA Novosti.
Russian exports to China totaled $86.4 billion between January and July, representing a 23.7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. Imports of Chinese goods into Russia rose 29.5 percent to $72.8 billion. China became Moscow's key economic partner following the start of military operations in Ukraine.
Despite the growth, total trade between Russia and China remains significantly lower than China's trade with its top economic partners. China's trade volume with the United States reached $344.9 billion in the same seven-month period, while its trade with the European Union exceeded $530 billion.
Growth constraints and future outlook
Economic relations between Russia and China face several key constraints, including a relatively limited trade structure. Russia primarily supplies energy resources at low prices, while equipment imported from China rarely includes the transfer of production technologies.
Additional obstacles include payment processing issues and concerns among Asian banks and companies over potential secondary Western sanctions. The realization of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project, which could significantly boost Russian gas exports to China, also remains uncertain due to unresolved questions surrounding pricing and delivery volumes.
Against this backdrop, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that observers should not expect the strong bilateral trade growth seen in 2023 and 2024 to continue.
