The ties between Moscow and Beijing are developing independently of the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday.
“Were there no sanctions, we would have cooperated more actively, however, it would be wrong to believe that sanctions are a barrier or a trigger for the development of relations with China,” Rogozin said, as he attended the annual Innoprom industrial trade fair in Yekaterinburg.
Since 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated amid the crisis in Ukraine. Brussels, Washington and their allies have introduced several rounds of anti-Russia sanctions since Crimea became part of in 2014 and over Moscow’s alleged involvement in the Ukrainian conflict. Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations, warning that the Western sanctions are counterproductive and undermine global stability.
Russia in turn introduced a one-year food embargo in August 2014 on products originating in states that imposed sanctions against it. The ban has since been extended.