'Sprouting' partnerships
Forum highlights growing business collaborations between Beijing, Moscow
The 2026 Russia-China Business Forum titled "Sprouts: Russia and China — Mutually Beneficial Cooperation" opened on Aug 16 in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, bringing together over 50 business sessions, eight Chinese provincial delegations, and numerous Russian federal officials.
More than 10,000 square meters of exhibition space showcased cooperation in logistics, finance, healthcare, industry, agriculture, creative economy, and artificial intelligence.
Against this backdrop of expanding ties, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui delivered an address at the forum highlighting the latest trade figures.
"Sino-Russian trade and economic cooperation is demonstrating steady growth. From January to July 2026, the volume of bilateral trade reached $159 billion, which represents a 26 percent increase compared to the same period last year. It is quite possible that a new all-time high will be set by the end of the year," Zhang said.
Local currency settlements also took center stage. Zhou Liqun, chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Russia, voiced strong support for bilateral settlements in national currencies during an interview of the forum.
