The presidents of Russia and China laid out ambitious plans yesterday to tie their countries into a closer strategic and economic partnership as both Beijing and Moscow seek to use each other to balance their relationship with the US.
The two presidents set a goal of more than doubling bilateral trade from $83.5bn last year to $200bn in 2020, Hu Jintao, China’s president, said after talks with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart.
The ambitious target was announced together with a slew of investment and trading deals. It was described by the two leaders as a sign of new heights in a relationship between two powers to be reckoned with on issues from global trade to a response to Syria.