Total trade was 38.17 billion dollars, showing an increase of 28.7% over the same period in 2021. Exports to Russia were 16.44 billion dollars (an increase of 25.9%) and imports from Russia were 21.73 billion dollars (an increase of 31%). Thus, Russia ranked 10th among China’s foreign trade partners, with a surplus of 5.29 billion dollars.
The situation in Russian-Chinese trade during the first quarter of 2022 was most affected by such factors as the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, sanctions by Western countries against Russia and the threat of their secondary application to Chinese companies, price volatility on global commodity and raw materials markets, and fluctuations in demand for various types of resources in China.
Russian exports to China
According to data of the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, Russian deliveries to China in value terms increased by 31.0% to 21.73 billion dollars as compared to the same period of 2021. Under the influence of the unstable foreign policy situation and notable fluctuations in energy prices, which are the basis of Russian exports to China, the main commodity groups are arranged in the following order:
| Item no. | GN group No. | Name |
Export volume (million dollars) January - March 2022 |
Share in total exports (%) | Changes to the same period in 2021 (%) |
| 1 | 27 |
Mineral fuel, oil, petroleum products |
16,170.7 | 74.4 | 52.16 |
| 2 | 74-80 |
Non-ferrous metals |
1,239.29 | 5.7 | 17.17 |
| 3 | 44-48 |
Wood processing products |
1,154.67 | 5.31 | 5.29 |
| 4 | 1-24 |
Agricultural and food products |
1,146.86 | 5.28 | 35.41 |
| 5 | 26 |
Ores, slags, ashes |
758.05 | 3.49 | -23.11 |
| 6 | 72 |
Ferrous metals |
399.29 | 1.84 | 3.26 |
| 7 | 31 |
Fertilizers |
299.33 | 1.38 | 59.39 |
| 8 |
28, 29, 38-40, 54, 55 |
Products of chemical and related industries |
247.81 | 1.14 | -37.18 |
| 9 | 71 |
Precious stones and metals |
155.26 | 0.71 | -62.45 |
| 10 | 84-90 |
Machinery and equipment |
95.55 | 0.44 | -33.34 |
| Export, total | 21,731.77 | 34.13 |
Russian imports from China
According to the results of the first quarter of 2022, the value of Russian imports from China increased by 25.9% compared to the same period of 2021 and amounted to 16.44 billion dollars. There were no changes among the first four categories of supplies. The overall results were as follows:
| Item No. | GN group No. | Name | Export volume (million dollars) | Share in total imports (%) | Changes to the same period in 2021 (%) |
| 1 | 84-90 |
Machinery and equipment |
9.218,64 | 56.07 | 30.59 |
| 2 | 28, 29, 38-40, 54, 55 |
Products of the chemical and related industries |
2,064.42 | 12.56 | 45.79 |
| 3 | 50-53, 56-63 |
Textile materials and products |
917.01 | 5.58 | -0.23 |
| 4 | 94-96 |
Miscellaneous industrial goods |
809.54 | 4.92 | 5.58 |
| 5 | 72-73 |
Ferrous metals, products thereof |
664.23 | 4.04 | 29.36 |
| 6 | 64-67 |
Shoes, hats, umbrellas, walking sticks |
696.86 | 4.24 | 27.33 |
| 7 | 41-43 |
Unprocessed hides and leather (rawhide), natural fur and products thereof |
202.03 | 1.23 | -52.43 |
| 8 | 81-83 |
Other non-precious metals, metal-ceramics, products thereof |
429.47 | 2.61 | 40.95 |
| 9 | 1-24 |
Agricultural and food products |
406.64 | 2.47 | 25.15 |
| 10 | 68-70 |
Stone, gypsum, cement, asbestos, mica, ceramic products, glass |
224.20 | 1.36 | 12.74 |
| 11 | 74-80 |
Non-ferrous metals and products thereof |
152.13 | 0.93 | -8.12 |
|
Import, total |
16,441.40 | 25.91 |
E-commerce
According to PRC statistics, B2B cross-border e-commerce with simplified declaration was 1.65 million dollars in the first quarter of 2022.
