The key facts
- On October 21, St. Petersburg hosted the 31st regular meeting of the heads of government of Russia and China: Mishustin and Li Qiang discussed trade, transport, and energy.
- Trade turnover over 25 years grew more than 30-fold, settlements in national currencies reached almost 100%.
- Tourist flow in the first half of 2026 increased by roughly one and a half times.
Meeting in St. Petersburg
On October 21 in St. Petersburg, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin held talks with Premier of the State Council of the PRC Li Qiang. The meeting took place within the framework of the 31st regular meeting of the heads of government of the two countries.
Trade and settlements
Mishustin called China one of Russia's key foreign economic partners and noted the development of trade ties despite external pressure. According to him, over the past 25 years mutual trade turnover has increased more than 30-fold. Moscow and Beijing have almost completely switched to settlements in national currencies — rubles and yuan; their share in payments has approached 100%.
Transport and tourist flow
A separate topic was transport infrastructure: the sides are working on modernizing border crossing points, digitalizing rail transportation, and developing new transport corridors to simplify the movement of goods. Mishustin also noted the strengthening of humanitarian ties: mutual tourist flow in the first half of 2026 grew by roughly one and a half times, which, in his words, indicates growing interest among Russians and Chinese in each other's culture, history, and traditions.
Other areas and context
The sides also discussed cooperation in energy, industry, agriculture, and education. The Russian prime minister confirmed Moscow's readiness to expand energy interaction with Beijing. Earlier, following the meeting between Mishustin and Li Qiang in November 2025, Russia and China signed 15 cooperation documents, covering transport, customs interaction, and satellite navigation.
