Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday pledged closer cooperation between their respective countries in preventing trade protectionism, as the Trump administration pursues trade renegotiations with China and sanctions on Russia.
“Amid the quickly changing international situation and the factors of instability and unpredictability, the cooperation of Russia and China takes on greater and greater importance,” Xi told Putin during a joint appearance at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, according to Bloomberg.
Xi did not directly reference the U.S., but said, according to the Financial Times, that Russia and China needed to coordinate to “oppose the policy of unilateral actions and trade protectionism.”
Putin made a similar pledge in response. “We have a relationship of trust in the sphere of politics, security, and defense,” he said.
The announcements were made as Moscow engaged in some of its largest military drills since the end of the Cold War, activities that were being done near the border of Kazakhstan with China’s participation.
The joint pledge comes as the U.S. is aggressively pursuing tariffs against China. To date, the Trump administration has placed 25 percent tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese products. That’s on top of tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum, both of which are primarily directed at China. Trump recently proposed tariffs on an additional $267 billion worth of goods.
The U.S. Justice Department formally charged Russia in July with attempting to meddle in the 2016 election by hacking the Democratic party’s database, among other methods, charges Putin has denied. Congress is debating sanctions on Russia related to the charges.
