China’s Ministry of Commerce has announced that bilateral trade between China and Russia reached 85.2 billion US dollars in the January–April 2026 period, up 19.7 percent year-on-year and marking what officials described as “a good start” to the year. The ministry underlined that the two countries intend to “firmly safeguard their right to independent development” of trade and economic cooperation. The statement followed the Russian president’s visit to China in May, during which the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership and expanding mutual trade.

According to the Chinese side, bilateral trade continues to grow across both energy and non‑energy sectors, including industrial goods, equipment and consumer products. Officials from the Ministry of Commerce noted that the dynamics seen in the first four months of 2026 provide a strong foundation for further growth in trade by the end of the year. The ministry highlighted plans to enhance logistics connectivity, strengthen the resilience of supply chains and further develop cross‑border e‑commerce between the two countries.

RetailChina.pro notes that the latest statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce effectively confirms high‑level political support for further expansion of bilateral trade, including in the consumer goods and FMCG segment. For Chinese manufacturers of food, beverages and everyday non‑food products, this signals a widening window of opportunity to enter the Russian and broader CIS markets through local distributors, retail chains and marketplaces. Against the backdrop of tighter import controls and product labelling requirements in Russia, partners that are ready to work through fully compliant channels, adapt products to local regulations and build long‑term cooperation with regional retailers are likely to have a competitive advantage.