What is the impact of the war waged by Russia on the Chinese economy? Authorities in Beijing say they are paying close attention to this issue, adding that they aim to pursue “normal economic and trade cooperation with the two nations [russe et ukrainienne]”, said Li Kuiwen, spokesman for the General Administration of Customs, when announcing the figures for the first quarter of the year, according to the Singapore daily Lianhe Zaobao.
Beijing has so far refused to call Russia’s actions a war of aggression and has repeatedly reiterated its statements about the illegality of Western sanctions against Russia.
For its part, the Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post reports that Chinese exports increased, but imports fell by “unexpected way” under “the pressure of the coronavirus and the war in Ukraine”.
Some analysts have lowered their forecasts for China’s economic growth rate to 5.1% or 5.2% for the year 2022, overall optimistic figures given the global situation.
In March 2022, China’s total trade with Russia increased by 12% year-on-year, indicating a slowdown compared to February (25.7%