Because of the sanctions imposed on Russia, Russia-China trade has exceeded $200 billion this year, according to the newspaper.
Hardly the biggest beneficiaries have been Chinese car manufacturers – sales in Russia have helped China overtake Japan as the world’s largest car exporter. In two years, Chinese automakers have taken just over half of the Russian market, although before the war the figure was less than 10%. Russia also sells cheap energy to China, which has allowed Chinese factories to compete in global markets while their Western competitors raise prices due to rising production costs. The NYT also notes that China’s state media popularizes Russia and reinforces the public’s positive opinion of the country.
