Turnover between Moscow and Beijing could surpass $200 billion by the end of the year, Igor Sechin has suggested
Moscow is on course to become Beijing’s largest foreign trade partner, after the US, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin told the Russian-Chinese energy business forum in Beijing this week.
China has been Russia’s largest trade partner for over a decade while this year Moscow placed fourth on Beijing's list, but this year’s surge in bilateral trade signals a change in rankings, he stated.
“If such bilateral trade dynamics continue, Russia may become China’s second largest trading partner after the US in the coming years,” Sechin suggested, noting that this would rank Russia ahead of Japan and South Korea. Both countries have seen a sharp drop in bilateral trade with Beijing, he added.
Sechin observed that trade turnover between Russia and China has jumped by nearly 30% in the first nine months of the year, to roughly $176 billion.
“There is every reason to believe that trade turnover between our countries will exceed the target of $200 billion this year,” he said.
Total turnover over the past five years has grown to $660 billion, with energy making up more than 75% of Russian exports to China, Sechin added.
The Rosneft head noted that both China and Russia are currently carrying out “structural reorganization of the economy under increased external pressure,” referring to sanctions imposed by Western nations, which have largely targeted Russia, but also partly Chinese companies, especially in the tech sphere......More Below
https://www.rt.com/business/585525-russia-china-trade-surge/
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday the upcoming start of ground strikes against drug cartel targets in Latin America.
He made the remarks during Christmas greetings to the military.
Trump said the United States was "now going after the land" in its fight against drug cartel targets, noting that drug trafficking by sea was down 96 percent.
The U.S. president also extended special congratulations to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, currently deployed in the Caribbean.
BEIJING (Sputnik) - China has begun operating the world's first intelligent ultra-large oil tanker powered by methanol, the China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday.
The tanker, designed to transport crude oil, was successfully put into operation in the city of Dalian in China's northeastern coastal province of Liaoning, the report said. State-owned company Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co Ltd independently designed and built the vessel, it added.
The tanker is approximately 333 meters (1,092 feet) long and can carry around 2.1 million barrels of crude oil, the CCTV reported. Designed to produce low emissions and having intelligent control capabilities, the tanker will serve the route to the Middle East, among others, according to the report.
The vessel is powered by a dual-fuel methanol engine, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 92% compared to conventional fuel, the CCTV reported. It is equipped with an intelligent ship platform, an intelligent liquid cargo ...
A car bomb has killed a senior General Staff member, officials have confirmed
Source: The Investigative Committee
A Russian general has been killed in a car bomb blast in Moscow, the Investigative Committee has reported.
Officials identified the victim as Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the General Staff. According to the statement, an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle he was traveling in, and detonated on Monday morning in the southern part of the Russian capital.
The blast also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured Sarvarov’s driver, media reports stated.
Russian officials said one line of investigation is an assassination carried out by Ukrainian intelligence services, noting that Kiev has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures.
Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense ...
