Will China keep trading with Russia despite Trump’s tariff threats? Ukraine’s Presidential Office responds
Photo: Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Presidential Office (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The threat of secondary tariffs against Russia from the United States has effectively forced China to choose between global markets and continued trade with Moscow, stated Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in a comment to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel.
According to Podolyak, after the conclusion of a trade agreement, the United States and the European Union have returned to a mutually beneficial relationship. This is important for Washington, as negotiations are ahead regarding the redistribution of global influence between the US on one side and China on the other.
He noted that against this backdrop, a key question arises: is China ready to trade its agreements with the US and Europe for meaningless support of the Russian President Vladimir Putin?
"You lose access to global markets, you enter into a large-scale trade or even economic war... In other words, you're trying to protect an actor who breaks the rules at the cost of losing a trillion-dollar market. I believe China is much smarter than that," the advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office added.
Podolyak also pointed out that China’s economy today is "not doing so well" compared to five years ago. Therefore, it cannot be said that China currently holds economic dominance.
Podolyak clarified that China’s public statements, such as "we will not let Russia lose" and "this is a strategic window of opportunity for us," are elements of a negotiating position.
In his view, China is signaling: take our interests into account, we want certain guarantees, we aim to be among the dominant global players, and we want the world’s architecture to look somewhat different.
Bessent's statement
Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that he had warned China about possible 100% tariffs due to Russia’s unwillingness to end the war against Ukraine.
According to Bessent, Beijing responded by saying it would continue to be guided by its domestic policy in matters of energy.
