Expert says that the volume of trade between China and Russia can grow by 10-15%

According to Alexey Maslov, the head of the Moscow State University Institute of Asian and African Countries, Russia will be able to boost its exports through agricultural products
BELOKURIKHA, 4 March/TASS/. The growth in trade between China and Russia by the end of 2022 is forecast at the level of 10-15%, Alexei Maslov, the head of the Moscow State University Institute of Asian and African Countries told TASS.
"Currently, we have $146 billion [volume] of bilateral trade with China. I believe by the end of the year it will grow by 10-15%. Exports from China will also increase by 10%, but we will still have a positive balance, since we sell more to China than it sells to us. This is mainly due to oil and gas. Our goal is to boost exports through agricultural products - grain, rapeseed, etc." Maslov shared his forecast. According to him, the turnover of $200 billion expected by 2024 "even in the current situation ... is possible."

The expert is positive about the fact that Russian enterprises need not only to establish wholesale supplies of frozen meat, chicken and grain to China, but also to enter the market with final products - sausages, packaged flour and sweets. At the same time, Maslov believes that Russian companies need to work not only in the northeast of China due to its proximity to the border, but also in coastal, southern and central areas.
"It will be beneficial to establish new farms in the Russian Federation with Chinese investments on condition of the guaranteed purchase of certain volumes of products. This is the situation when products are manufactured and packaged in Russia, and the Chinese partner supplies them to China and sells them under the Russian brand. At the moment we have no joint ventures. We have experience of such interaction in the field of oil and gas - Arctic LNG-2," the expert explained.
Maslov is confident that Russia needs to significantly increase coal supplies to China, where a "critical situation with energy carriers" is unfolding, since 60% of the industry operates using coal. According to him, it is necessary to supply not only coking coal, but also high-octane coal blend. Malov noted that China has no other partners except Russia that would be able to meet the required demand for coal.

Earlier, Vladimir Petrichenko, General Director of ProZerno, told TASS that against the backdrop of the situation in Ukraine, Russian farmers would increase exports to China, where restrictions on supplies from Russia have been lifted. According to him, strengthening of this export field will not be fast, and the Russian Federation should consider the possibility of cancelling duties on oilseeds: China is a buyer of a large volume of Siberian and Far Eastern oil crops.
Source: tass.ru
Image source: photogenica.ru