China Hopes Trade With Russia to Top $80Bln in 2017

Chinese Vice Minister Wang Shouwen says that China’s Commerce Ministry hopes its trade turnover with Russia will pass $80 billion this year. BEIJING (Sputnik) — China’s Commerce Ministry hopes its trade turnover with Russia will pass $80 billion this year, Vice Minister Wang Shouwen said Thursday. "We expect that this year trade turnover between Russia and China will exceed $80 billion," the minister said at a press briefing devoted to the president’s upcoming trip to Moscow. The Russian-Chinese trade gained 26.1 percent between January and May of 2017 to stand at $32.39 billion. In 2016, their trade was at $69.5 billion, up by 2.2 percent from the previous year. Trade will be one of the key topics at President Xi Jinping’s talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. President Xi is scheduled to travel to Moscow on July 3 for a two-day visit. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai said the countries would also issue two joint communiques outlining their bilateral ties and stances on international issues – in addition to over a dozen intergovernmental agreements. Read more: https://sputniknews.com/business/201706291055069187-china-hopes-top-trade-russia/