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Beijing: Anti-Moscow Sanctions Won’t Harm Chinese Investors’ Interest in Russia

BEIJING(Sputnik) - Anti-Russian sanctions imposed by Washington will not affect Chinese investors’ interest in the Russian market, Beijing will continue to support bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, Liu Xuesong, the deputy director general of the Chinese Commerce Ministry’s Eurasia Affairs Department, said on Tuesday.
Sputnik

"Over the years, the United States has repeatedly imposed sanctions against other states unilaterally. The Chinese side is firmly against this. At present relations between Russia and China are developing very successfully, cooperation in trade and investment will not be affected by external factors… The interest of Chinese investors in Russia will not diminish," Liu told reporters.

The official added that Beijing would support Chinese companies' investments in the Russian market.

"Our Ministry of Commerce will continue to support the investment of Chinese enterprises in Russia in order to make a greater contribution to the development of bilateral trade and economic relations," he said.

In 2017, trade between China and Russia grew by 20.8 percent in comparison with 2016 and amounted to $84 billion. China's exports to Russia rose by 14.8 percent to $42.9 billion, while the Chinese import from Russia went up by 27.7 percent and reached $41.2 billion.

The latest round of US restrictions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) was introduced on April 6, with the sanctions list including senior Russian government officials and lawmakers, as well as major business owners and private and state-owned companies under their control.

READ MORE: Money Talks: Why EU is Increasingly Buying Russia's Gas Despite Sanctions

The United States and its allies have introduced several rounds of sanctions on Russia since 2014, first in connection with the difference over the Ukrainian conflict and Crimea's reunification with Russia and more recently over the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Moscow has refuted the allegations of such meddling.
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