How China became Russia’s economic lifeline in World Economy News 21/05/2026 Hot on the heels of Donald Trump’s visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping. DW explores how China’s trade and financial support is helping keep Russia’s economy afloat. Russia may celebrate its “no-limits” partnership with China — a phrase coined when President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met just before the Ukraine war — yet those relations are increasingly one-sided. Although bilateral trade softened last year as a result of lower oil prices, Russia’s goods exports to China have nearly doubled since February 2022, when Moscow’s full-scale invasion began. In 2024, Russia shipped roughly $129 billion (€111 billion) worth of goods to China — the overwhelming majority in crude oil, coal and natural gas sold at steep discounts. The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air calculated that China has bought more than €319 billion ($372 billion) of Russian fossil fuels since the conflict began, giving Moscow vital hard currency to fund its military amid Western sanctions. In return, China exported nearly $116 billion worth of goods to Russia in 2024, supplying machinery, electronics and vehicles that replaced Western suppliers who exited the Russian market. Although Beijing has stopped short of direct exports to Russia of finished military hardware, China has supplied billions of dollars’ worth of dual-use goods — civilian products and technologies that also have military applications. These have also helped sustain Russia’s defense industry. As Putin and Xi prepare to meet in Beijing this week for high-level talks — timed to mark the 25th anniversary of the two countries’ cooperation treaty— this growing imbalance leaves Moscow increasingly vulnerable to Beijing’s priorities. Why is Russia increasingly reliant on Chinese technology? Western sanctions, imposed since 2022 and repeatedly tightened, have severed Russia’s access to advanced Western tec